欧宝娱乐

Anne Michaels鈥� Held is a rare literary gem, a symphony of intertwined lives and memories captured in poetic prose. Every page of this novel is packed with lyrical, thought-provoking passages that invite readers to slow down and savour the depth of emotion and philosophical musings Michaels brings to life. Moving fluidly across time and generations, the novel follows John, a soldier returning from World War I, through a journey that explores both personal and universal desires: the need for connection, understanding, and healing.

Michaels, known for her meditative style in Fugitive Pieces and The Winter Vault, employs a stream-of-consciousness approach, crafting small vignettes that feel like standalone pieces of poetry. Each section of Held reveals glimpses of characters whose lives are connected through invisible threads - loss, love, and the mysteries of existence. Her sparse, fragmentary form allows readers to experience the unspoken and invisible boundaries between life and death, intimacy and distance, the self and the world beyond.

Held is a book to be read slowly, to be savoured and reflected upon. It鈥檚 filled with quotable lines, each one a small meditation on life鈥檚 impermanence and the echoes of human experience across time. The prose itself feels almost mystical, blending science, art, and memory in a way that invites readers to embrace uncertainty and wonder. This is, quite simply, a book that will linger, its beauty and melancholy woven deeply into my mind.

On the 2024 Booker Prize shortlist, Held is, in my view, deserving of the win. Michaels has crafted a deeply resonant and profoundly poetic novel, capturing the essence of what it means to be human, in both the brightest and darkest moments.