Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ

This book is staggeringly good. It is literary and lyrical like "A Northern Light," but edgier. I think Donnelly takes more risks here: in characterization (Andi is a handful, to say the least), subject matter (the horrors of the French Revolution are at times excruciating to read) and structure (contemporary and historical plot lines are mashed together -- which, of course, is the point: the world goes on stupid and brutal, just like it always has).

What I'm most struck by is how nuanced and layered this book is. It is chock-full of weighty little references and associations and foreshadowings that -- at least for me -- don't always fully reveal themselves on the first read. Take Max R. Peters, the madman in Brooklyn raving about revolution. He's obviously Max Robespierre, which means ... well, let's see: The spoiled kids in Andi's school are the pre-Rev French aristocracy? (I think so.) Modern-day Bklyn is Revolutionary Paris? (Maybe.) Truman is Louis Charles? (Of course!)

And the Inferno parallels: The three sections of the book. The guide Virgil (driving a cab labeled "EPIC RIDE," naturally!). Alex's last name. The catacombs. Seeing the stars. I'm sure many more exist; I haven't found them yet.

And of course the anagram: Diandra Xenia Alpers = Alexandrine Paradis. They aren't two girls with striking similarities, they're the same character! Their story is one story and it exists throughout time and independent of time. Which, I think, is why Donnelly allows time to run in both directions in this book; it is irrelevant to the tale.

Donnelly cites James Joyce as her all-time favorite author. He was the master of these little loaded references (Ulysses overflows with them), and his influence on Donnelly can be felt in Revolution's little gems. (Hmm: he also took big literary risks ... created challenging characters ... and dispensed with the constraints of physical and temporal reality from time to time. But that's a subject for another essay!)

What a book. Five stars aren't enough.