Another Lit Fic that's not quite for me
I know that there is a really large following of folks that love literary fiction - that speaks to deep and wide themes of what it means to be human, to connect with others ... that is really character-driven and descriptive in its writing. Though these books always seem to win prizes and awards, they're the kind that I have a hard time reading. I just get bored. I want something to HAPPEN. I don't want a play-by-play of every thought running through a character's head nor a miles' long walk down memory lane.
Right away we're introduced to the main character, Cohen, who, it seems, has discovered his father dead (or maybe killed him himself?). The next chapter skips back in time down a memory of Cohen's. Then, we skip back to a small moment in time when Cohen leaves the room and walks outside. Then, we skip back in time. For me, in those handful of pages, nothing has really happened yet. The character has discovered a body (or killed his dad) and we've spent loads of other pages stuck in our thoughts.
While I think this book has potential to be great for some readers, I just don't think it's for me. I think those who really love these types of character-driven mysteries that build on big themes of family and human connection will probably appreciate this book.
Right away we're introduced to the main character, Cohen, who, it seems, has discovered his father dead (or maybe killed him himself?). The next chapter skips back in time down a memory of Cohen's. Then, we skip back to a small moment in time when Cohen leaves the room and walks outside. Then, we skip back in time. For me, in those handful of pages, nothing has really happened yet. The character has discovered a body (or killed his dad) and we've spent loads of other pages stuck in our thoughts.
While I think this book has potential to be great for some readers, I just don't think it's for me. I think those who really love these types of character-driven mysteries that build on big themes of family and human connection will probably appreciate this book.