A starred rating is always necessarily reductive, but it feels especially so here. Too long by half, monotonous in style (and often in content), this A starred rating is always necessarily reductive, but it feels especially so here. Too long by half, monotonous in style (and often in content), this book demands a great deal of patience. There is something so profound here, though, about identity, memory, and storytelling, and a patient reader is rewarded with threads of revelation. Am I glad it鈥檚 over? Oh, hell yes. Am I just as glad I persisted? Same. Yes. Absolutely, yes. ...more
I picked this up for a quick diverting thriller and instead found a compelling examination of how relationships can endure tragedy. The writing is so I picked this up for a quick diverting thriller and instead found a compelling examination of how relationships can endure tragedy. The writing is so clean and clear and the plotting is impeccable, and the insights into the aftermath of violence are deeply felt and insightful. ...more
This book shouldn鈥檛 work. At best it should be too neat and too cute. That it is instead beautiful and profound and compelling and compulsively readabThis book shouldn鈥檛 work. At best it should be too neat and too cute. That it is instead beautiful and profound and compelling and compulsively readable attests to Knapp鈥檚 unique talent. It鈥檚 hard to believe this is a debut novel, it鈥檚 so intricately woven, the characters in their alternate universes becoming layered beings who reveal so much about humanity and resilience. ...more
This is such a technically accomplished novel that I wish it were also a bit more fun and engaging. In this day by day account of the mundane preparatThis is such a technically accomplished novel that I wish it were also a bit more fun and engaging. In this day by day account of the mundane preparations of a new space in Lisbon, the narrator waits for his wife, and ponders the nature of memory and time. The surreal party scene is a standout. ...more
Beautifully poignant exploration of childhood wounds, first love, and the work of forgiveness. Porter is especially gifted at conjuring the atmosphereBeautifully poignant exploration of childhood wounds, first love, and the work of forgiveness. Porter is especially gifted at conjuring the atmosphere鈥� the sounds, the scents, the light鈥� that imbues memory. There is so much beauty and hope amidst the sadness here. I cannot recommend this novel highly enough. ...more
The future climate crisis depicted largely through the multi-generational history of a single family. It is often bleak (how could it be anything but)The future climate crisis depicted largely through the multi-generational history of a single family. It is often bleak (how could it be anything but) but it is not without hope. Familial connections transcend distance and time so that humankind (and humanity) endure....more
Hannah and her family are so beautifully drawn and the structure of the book, which threads through past(s) and present reveals so much about the legaHannah and her family are so beautifully drawn and the structure of the book, which threads through past(s) and present reveals so much about the legacy of trauma through generations of a single Anglo-Australian family (and, more allusively, the indigenous people they displaced). The chapters in Max鈥檚 voice are less effective for me, though his ability to serve as a witness allows for the novel鈥檚 transcendent moments. ...more
Amidst the weirdness (and yeah, it鈥檚 undeniably extremely weird) there鈥檚 a really moving longing for connection that was unexpected and thus disarmingAmidst the weirdness (and yeah, it鈥檚 undeniably extremely weird) there鈥檚 a really moving longing for connection that was unexpected and thus disarming. ...more
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