欧宝娱乐

This novel began with such authority and creativity that it was a great disappointment to come to the midway point and find a dull rendition of more postmodernist cleverness and special effects.

Much of the purpose of this narrative style, it seems, is to encourage a reader's empathy with how unpleasant it must be to live in Iran. Mission accomplished. But at some point, one has to ask: If it's a bleak existence that no sane person would choose, why would any reader wish to spend 12 hours empathizing with it?

The allusions to other works of literary fiction are the very worst sort; as a reader, you know some allusion is being made, but you're so tired of it - ask me and I will tell you - that you become lazy, avoiding the allusion instead of looking for a key to its gate.

Worst of all, by the 2/3 mark of the novel, you're no longer interested in having the author tell you what you don't already know about being Iranian. The entire experience of being Iranian has become so tiresome and predictable, an Iranian love affair so much like what American kids do in high school, that you start resenting the characters for their indecision.

This novel is quite well-written and makes some interesting choices. College students will read it and be told it's genius and set out to replicate its tricks. At the end, though, it's much more of a style than a subject. And before you dismiss that criticism, ask yourself: Did I enjoy this reading experience?