Tony Su - aNobii

Books (185)

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- The Hand That First Held Mine (30)
- By Maggie O'Farrell
- Reading since Feb 5, 2012
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- Das war ich nicht (3)
- By Kristof Magnusson
- Finished on Feb 5, 2012
  
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Das war ich nicht

A thoroughly enjoyable, if not always plausible, read about three lost souls who crossed paths under peculiar circumstances, developed unlikely affections, found new goals in life and brought about a global financial crisis in their wake.
Even though the plot isn't always convincing (how the Germa ... (continue)

A thoroughly enjoyable, if not always plausible, read about three lost souls who crossed paths under peculiar circumstances, developed unlikely affections, found new goals in life and brought about a global financial crisis in their wake.
Even though the plot isn't always convincing (how the German translator just decided to go all the way to Chicago to find the missing American Pulitzer laureat, how the German trader could just manipulate the accounting system of his bank and directly cause the bankruptcy of his bank etc.), in between the major veins of the story, the author did conceive pretty brilliant and often quirkily funny anecdotes that connect three lives, drive unlikely romances and reveal trivial but endlessly human aspects of our nature.
The writing is good- focused and neatly clipped, efficiently establishing the very different plights and mindsets of the three characters, from there on it's a joy to watch how they find, stumble into and mess up the lives of one another. I especially enjoyed the combination of constant suspense and lighthearted fun that the inter-cutting narratives create. Sometimes you get to see the same scene from various perspectives and realize the confusion/frustration of the people involved all the better.
What hurt this novel is, besides the implausibility that handicaps some joints of the story, also its last part, which feels especially strained and stretched. You get the sense that the author has used up all there is to say about these three characters and is reluctantly going in circles. Not a very satisfying end to a story that showed quite a lot of promise.

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— Feb 5, 2012 | Add your feedback
- Skippy Dies (72)
- By Paul Murray
- Finished on Jan 12, 2012
  
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Skippy Dies

It's impossible to sum up "Skippy Dies" because it's such an enormous endeavor, both in the wide spectrum of subjects, emotions, characters it touches on and in its formidable volume. Indeed, a major reason why this novel hits you like it does- with such ferocity and on all levels- probably lies in ... (continue)

It's impossible to sum up "Skippy Dies" because it's such an enormous endeavor, both in the wide spectrum of subjects, emotions, characters it touches on and in its formidable volume. Indeed, a major reason why this novel hits you like it does- with such ferocity and on all levels- probably lies in its broad accumulation of plot twists, deliberate collage of character development and extensive mapping of emotional journeys. In the end, you do feel like you're seeing the numerous middle school boys and girls of the Irish upper class right in front of you, as well as the teachers, priests and parents that are supposed to protect and instruct them, but who are themselves just as confused, lost and tortured in their own pursuits of happiness, accomplishment and escape. The futility and cruelty of it all come crushing down when you realize none of the characters, young and old, nice and mean, who have all become so familiar to you, can be spared facing up their choices, their past, their innermost demons. But before that, you get a roaring comedy first!
It's a testament to the gigantic talent of Paul Murray that he could balance the heft and the fun of adolescence so wonderfully that the hilarity and absurdity imperceptibly slide into regret and despair; that stories about teenage love, school bullying, substance abuse, war history, string theory, and the meaning of life should all come together like meant to be. Just when you think he's gone too far with his net-casting and the novel is spread too thin with that many side stories, they all come back to serve in some way the narrative and spirit of the book, making it only stronger and louder.
That the writing is also to die for doesn't hurt. Murray writes about teenage angst, grown-up fears with such a firm grip and clear vision it nails the sentiments and drives home their weight almost every time. He gives you ready access inside the minds of popular girls, nerdy boys, insecure teachers, possessed priests and of course the tragic hero Skippy. All very different characters with very complex personalities and crosses to bear and all made so relatable and endeared. It's pure magic.

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— Jan 12, 2012 | Add your feedback
- Her Fearful Symmetry (223)
- By Audrey Niffenegger
- Finished on Nov 27, 2011
  
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Her Fearful Symmetry

What a mess of a novel...all started reasonably well, with a death, two sets of twins and the promise of family mystery all dealt out in the opening chapters. But after the premises were efficiently set up, the author seems to have no idea where to take her story. The major character of the ghost wa ... (continue)

What a mess of a novel...all started reasonably well, with a death, two sets of twins and the promise of family mystery all dealt out in the opening chapters. But after the premises were efficiently set up, the author seems to have no idea where to take her story. The major character of the ghost was introduced rather awkwardly into the stagnating plot, which was as trapped inside this London apartment as itself. A whole chunk of time and space was then dedicated to the interaction with the ghost and the joint exercise of figuring out the logic of the afterlife. This entire portion of the book was thoroughly unexciting to put it mildly.
When another plot twist finally came, it was so absurd and laughably implausible that you couldn't believe the author really went along with it anyway. What followed was one ridiculous development after another. In fact, the last third of the book is so boring, illogical, substance-less and preposterous it's painful to bear.
The book is a huge disappointment after Niffenegger's wildly imaginative and fabulous brain scratcher "The Time Traveler's Wife". They are similar in the sense that both deal with the fantastical and absurd, but in this one, you get the feeling that the rules of the ghost world were made up as the book went along and the plans and intentions of the characters also appear totally whimsical, defying all common sense. When the author tried to stir things up in the final part of the book and complicated everything by playing with the identity of the older twins and the failed resurrection attempt, the result is still hopelessly lifeless and not in the least intriguing. Apart from one vividly depicted character who suffers from OCD and is confined within his own personal ticks, there's almost nothing worth salvaging in this fangless, tepid ghost tale.

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— Nov 28, 2011 | Add your feedback
- You Deserve Nothing (6)
- A Novel
- By Alexander Kolya Maksik
- Finished on Nov 4, 2011
  
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You Deserve Nothing

This debut novel starts off pretty impressively, with quick intercuts between cold, shadowy characters speaking in mysterious tones. Even before they all end up in the affluent Parisian school and the story really begins, a level of suspense and intrigue with a tinge of danger is well established. T ... (continue)

This debut novel starts off pretty impressively, with quick intercuts between cold, shadowy characters speaking in mysterious tones. Even before they all end up in the affluent Parisian school and the story really begins, a level of suspense and intrigue with a tinge of danger is well established. The stakes then get higher and higher as the sexual tension between the teachers and students grows, setting off raw sparks everywhere. Up until mid-point of the whole book, the hook is quite splendidly set.
Unfortunately the wild, experimental edge of the first half that entices you and makes you wonder where it's all going slowly disappears in the latter half. The plot gets sidetracked too often by the pseudo-philosophical lectures the main character gives and the cringe-inducing spiritual revelations his students get from all the inspirational talk. The classroom scenes are poorly written, ever-reminding of "Dead Poets Society"-kind of sappiness that's such a misfit for the tone of the story; and the family drama thrown in here and there also disappoints. And when the author does get back to the main plot line with the improper relationship, he also goes soft and gets bland. The shockingly unoriginal outcome of the affair and the quiet but powerless ending bring the whole thing crashing down.
The city of Paris is a major character of the book, but I don't think the author really captured its seductive flair and fed that into the story, which is also a shame.

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— Nov 5, 2011 | Add your feedback

- Nemesis (79)
- By Philip Roth
- Finished on Nov 1, 2011
  
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Nemesis

It's hard to complain about a Philip Roth novel because he's just so good. Even when writing a story of such modest scale and limited development, there's no escaping his magnificent, so-quiet-and-composed-it's-almost-hypnotizing prose.
Like another novella of his, "Indignation", this one is a ver ... (continue)

It's hard to complain about a Philip Roth novel because he's just so good. Even when writing a story of such modest scale and limited development, there's no escaping his magnificent, so-quiet-and-composed-it's-almost-hypnotizing prose.
Like another novella of his, "Indignation", this one is a very introspective work about a very specific time and place (1944 Newark) and a very specific kind of mindset/zeitgeist. It also deals mainly with the spiritual struggle of the main character, treading every step of his inner working, from contentment to doubt, from despair to guilt. Roth's fascinatingly composed narrative captures with heartbreaking clarity this emotional journey of a young man during a time of war (WWII and polio outbreak in New England) within and without. In the hands of any lesser writer, the inconspicuous circumstances of the story and its relatively straightforward fallout would probably dilute, distract and bore but when observed and told by the singular voice of Roth, it becomes anything but ordinary. There's something about the celebrated master's words, as plain as they sometimes might appear to be, that resonates a deep and quiet charm, that commands your absolute attention and leads you willingly toward (usually, as in this case) devastating outcomes.
With all that said, the scope of the novel ultimately stopped me from giving it the fourth star which it in every other regard deserves. Alone the elegance with which Roth weaves together this intimate tragic tale, however, makes the reading of this book more than a rewarding experience.

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— Nov 2, 2011 | Add your feedback
- The Marriage Plot (102)
- By Jeffrey Eugenides
- Finished on Oct 24, 2011
  
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The Marriage Plot

The latest from Eugenides is a drastic departure from his previous works. While "The Virgin Suicides" was mostly atmosphere-driven and "Middlesex" decidedly plot-driven, this one is more of a character-driven, by his standards rather modest and intimate, tale of three individuals set in the 80's. Th ... (continue)

The latest from Eugenides is a drastic departure from his previous works. While "The Virgin Suicides" was mostly atmosphere-driven and "Middlesex" decidedly plot-driven, this one is more of a character-driven, by his standards rather modest and intimate, tale of three individuals set in the 80's. The author's knack for creating intricate plot hooks that link up previous loose ends in unexpected ways still comes to shine in some places, but overall this book isn't carried by developments or twists and turns, which is for me its greatest weakness.
In all fairness, the author did cover one year of life of these characters and a geographic span of several continents as they traveled in their confusion and pain on a quest for spiritual deliverance or mental balance. He also did a good job recreating the sights and sounds, feels and smells of New England, Detroit, Paris, Calcutta, Monaco and New York, showcasing his quite wonderful descriptive skills. But amidst all that traveling and experiencing a central plot line is often blatantly missing. Not only do these accounts of new exotic locations lead contextually nowhere, I find the motivations for many of the expeditions not sufficiently established in the first place. That explains a feeling of hollowness and detachment when I read a large part of the book.
As for the character-building part, the author relied substantially on religious, psychological and literary discourse and references to set up his two heroes and one heroine. While these detailed, sometimes to the point of being lecture-like, retelling of different mysticisms and religious enlightenment, studies on manic depression and its treatment or (less so jarringly)comparative literature might be necessary in giving these characters contours and meaning, one has to doubt the validity of the length the author goes to make his point. Entire passages devoted to these scientific or academic findings can prove to be dry and actually counter-productive in painting clear, human portraits of full, plausible characters.
What saved this novel is, besides the author's ever-formidable penmanship, the marriage plot itself, which was accentuated at the very end and gave the entire story an interesting structure and perspective retrospectively. But it was, in the grand scheme of things, probably too little, too late.

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— Oct 24, 2011 | Add your feedback
- Roman unserer Kindheit (1)
- By Georg Klein
- Finished on Oct 17, 2011
  
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Roman unserer Kindheit

This has been the most frustrating reading experience I've had in a long time. Admittedly, the fact that I find a large part of this book curiously dry, confusing and pointless must be attributed to my inadequate grasp of the German language. In that sense, this is not a fair rating/review since it' ... (continue)

This has been the most frustrating reading experience I've had in a long time. Admittedly, the fact that I find a large part of this book curiously dry, confusing and pointless must be attributed to my inadequate grasp of the German language. In that sense, this is not a fair rating/review since it's given to something the evaluator doesn't fully comprehend.
That said, few literary works, both in English and in the German language, have confounded/tortured me in the recent past as this one. I think a major reason for that is the intentional vagueness with which the author leaves deals with many of his plot points. We know the story takes place sometime after the second world war, in a rural area in Germany. Other that that, nothing much is clear. Elements of fantasy and gothic horror intersperse freely with the main narrative, which is more or less based in the realistic portrait of a group of kids growing up in this village. No indications were ever given as to when the perspective might shift or when the surreal might be taking over. Literally from one paragraph to another, the time, place, tone and narrator might be different without a beat, and out-of-the-blue interludes of circumstances from another era cut in at will. While I'm sure it gives the book a much more free-flowing and fantastical feel, this writing style deeply pains me.
To its credit, in some prolonged segments with a consequently lucid tone, the author does depict the childhood life, the dreams, fears and fun of these seven kids beautifully. With plain but insightful anecdotes of day-to-day mischief and struggles, he manages to paint an endearing picture of life before the loss of innocence. These parts of the book I've enjoyed thoroughly. (but then comes the part with the parrot, the man with no face, the disfigured veterans, the walking sofa, the monster in a bear suit...)

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— Oct 17, 2011 | Add your feedback
- The Surrendered (10)
- By Chang-Rae Lee
- Finished on Sep 15, 2011
  
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The Surrendered

A lot of things about this novel, both plot-wise and prose-wise, are respectable. I like how the author builds up the mystery using inter-cutting chapters from different places in time, or how he conjures up this feeling of grand despair and fatalism using the backdrop of the Korean War; I even, for ... (continue)

A lot of things about this novel, both plot-wise and prose-wise, are respectable. I like how the author builds up the mystery using inter-cutting chapters from different places in time, or how he conjures up this feeling of grand despair and fatalism using the backdrop of the Korean War; I even, for an extended period of time, sincerely warmed to the severe characters he creates for this sad, sad story. There's no question that a lot of passion, compassion and all sorts of extreme emotions are explored, depicted and generally splashed across the story, but one begins to doubt if it's all a little misplaced after some oddly abrupt plot twists and not entirely convincing developments.
The writing is also erratic. The author tends to craft long, ever-winding sentences to picture a scene or describe a feeling. Sometimes he does it beautifully, but other times it comes off very showy, bland and bloodless. The overwriting becomes all the more obvious after a certain point, when most of the questions have been answered and no new development is in sight. That he continues to write in such painstaking details about everything banal and inconsequential ultimately drains the emotional power of the words and just gets boring.
This is also a book strictly about misfortune, misery and sad endings. To call it a tragedy is an understatement, as its plot puts together all kinds of unspeakable horrors imaginable during wartime or within a familial situation. While these stories need to be told too, one wonders if a little excess is on display here.
The last real surprise, about the identity of the son that the protagonists have been looking for, is quite brilliant despite being a total downer itself, but it's not used to its full potential and doesn't kick up the gear in the last part of the book, where the reader mostly just gets to experience the prolonged death of the protagonist.

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— Sep 15, 2011 | Add your feedback
- The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets Nest. Film Tie-In (781)
- By Stieg Larsson
- Finished on Aug 28, 2011
  
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The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets Nest. Film Tie-In

Even though the finale of Larsson's wildly successful Millennium Trilogy still packs enough thrills to put most crime novels to shame, it is also easily the least compact, suspenseful and engaging in the series.
Its biggest problem is its sheer length, which, at nearly 750 pages, is simply way too ... (continue)

Even though the finale of Larsson's wildly successful Millennium Trilogy still packs enough thrills to put most crime novels to shame, it is also easily the least compact, suspenseful and engaging in the series.
Its biggest problem is its sheer length, which, at nearly 750 pages, is simply way too long for a story that is mostly occupied with tying up loose ends and giving closure to its two predecessors. The book's relative looseness and lack of suspense and also come from the fact that, unlike in the previous two, there's hardly any new mystery to solve in this one. We know from the get-go who the bad guys are and what they did. The whole book is basically just a detailed description of the political organization behind it all and an account of how the good guys finally connect the dots and reach a conclusion that the reader has known all along. That said, it's a testament to the formidable writing skills of Larsson that even with this little to work on, he managed to deliver a thriller that's better than most. His direct, objective, almost journalistic prose is sharp, concise and carries an edge that's cold to the touch and sharp enough to draw blood. His structure of individual scenes is as brilliantly heart-stopping as always, and his characterization of Lisbeth Salander and Mikael Blomkvist, especially the subtle connection between them, is among the best I've read in crime fiction.
Overall, this book offers plenty to chew on and enjoy, its introduction of the Swedish secret police and its place in Sweden's history is fascinating to read, but the good stuff is spread out too thin over a killer volume and hence loses steam in many places.

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— Aug 29, 2011 | Add your feedback

- Super Sad True Love Story (86)
- By Gary Shteyngart
- Finished on Aug 9, 2011
  
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Super Sad True Love Story

I kind of liked the beginning of the book, namely the whole loopy, futuristic set-up of it. And its very end was quite nice too, surprisingly melancholy in a genuine and human way. But the bulk of the mid-section, the whole emotional journey of the main characters, Lenny and Eunice, through the brea ... (continue)

I kind of liked the beginning of the book, namely the whole loopy, futuristic set-up of it. And its very end was quite nice too, surprisingly melancholy in a genuine and human way. But the bulk of the mid-section, the whole emotional journey of the main characters, Lenny and Eunice, through the breakdown of America, was blatantly devoid of substance and just dragged on and on, leaving an emptiness and numbness behind that was too damaging to be redeemed.
The structural problem with the book probably has something to do with the chosen form narrative, which consists of diary entries of Lenny and online-chat messages of Eunice. In itself quite a daring and innovative way to tell a story, with the temporal gaps and temperamental inconsistencies between the entries to be filled by the readers themselves, the narrative does suffer from its own inherent restrictions and loses steam once the freshness wears off. For a large chunk of time, Lenny and Eunice just came off as whining, self-repeating and boring audio tracks, hardly offering the solace and tenderness of the written word (which of course could be seen as an intentional choice by the author to lament the death of books so prominently stressed in the novel, but nonetheless does itself a disservice).
That said, the author's apocalyptic vision of the future world is to be commended. His depictions of a health and immortality-obsessed society are much more believably rendered than the other novel on this theme that I read earlier this year ("Corpus Delicti") while not losing a sense of irony and fun. As for his descriptions of a broke, militant, totalitarian, in every respect destroyed America, one need only watch the news these days to feel the tremble of familiarity. It's quite scary when satire becomes prophecy.
The last thing worth mentioning is the ending of the book, when the fear of death born by Lenny his whole life was turned into something else, something more deeply felt, understood and appreciated. It's a magnificent ending note, even though the journey there wasn't quite perfect.

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— Aug 9, 2011 | Add your feedback
- Die Frequenzen (1)
- Roman
- By Clemens J. Setz
- Finished on Jul 27, 2011
  
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Die Frequenzen

Just pages into this immense black-hole of a novel, and you can tell a wickedly talented writer is at work. His descriptions of a lone young man returning home on an uneventful train ride, as ordinary as it sounds, can be so distinctly detached, strange and foreboding. And it's all but a very modest ... (continue)

Just pages into this immense black-hole of a novel, and you can tell a wickedly talented writer is at work. His descriptions of a lone young man returning home on an uneventful train ride, as ordinary as it sounds, can be so distinctly detached, strange and foreboding. And it's all but a very modest appetizer that barely prepares the reader for what's to come in the following 700 pages.
Attempts to explain the story will be futile because the author's utter disregard for conventional storytelling denies the reader any logical pattern or sensible overview of a plot. We get to experience multiple narrative lines from multiple point of views, in the first person or in the third person, from the distant past or the month before, by a Japanese caretaker, her comatose patient or a red-furred female dog. By the middle of this book, you'd think the author has set out to write a book using every angle, perspective and writing trick imaginable. While all this fireworks of changing styles feel fascinating and intensely creative at first, the book overstays its welcome and turns into ever weirder corners of inexplicable sequences that may or may not be dreams, fears or flashbacks. The fact that more and more is told but less and less is understood quickly exhausts the mind and spoils the fun. By the last 100 pages, where one more or less just gives up and succumbs to the craziness of it all, the story can't end soon enough.
Which is a shame, really, considering how promising the first 200 or so pages are. Vivid characters, claustrophobic circumstances, erotic side stories and the brilliant sense of style on display leave one breathless, on edge and mystified at once. Especially the sometimes improbable story line and the very strange tone of it make the reading a deeply disturbing experience.
Sadly, all that good will gets squandered in the later parts of the book, where a little discipline is badly needed. In all, a bold work of fiction with lots of good ideas (the abundant and conflicting lives of the characters as different frequencies in the air) and creative writing (Uljana the dog's monologue or the phone conversation with a coma patient) but painfully lacking in self-control and a sense of direction.

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— Jul 28, 2011 | Add your feedback
- Ravens (9)
- By George Dawes Green
- Finished on Jun 21, 2011
  
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Ravens

Buried deep beneath this train wreck of a novel are some ideas and a basic set-up that are not half bad. But all of them get squandered, mishandled and just plain thrown around in such a confused and ridiculous pile that it's hard to keep a straight face or maintain any consistent mood while reading ... (continue)

Buried deep beneath this train wreck of a novel are some ideas and a basic set-up that are not half bad. But all of them get squandered, mishandled and just plain thrown around in such a confused and ridiculous pile that it's hard to keep a straight face or maintain any consistent mood while reading it.
I like the starting point, the origin of all the struggles that followed, which is the unexpected win of a mega-lottery that befell an ordinary family in a small southern town. Unimaginable fortune soon turned to nightmares as two young men learned of the windfall and tried to extort the family into sharing their enormous prize. The extreme situation of luck-meet-misery is perfectly explorable in the case of a jackpot win. Very complicated but real emotions can surface, conflicts may arise and the ugliest side of human nature can be expected. And the author did try to tap into all that in the book, but the plot he cooked up is so utterly implausible and the way he depicts the changes in the characters so heavy-handed that you feel almost zero emotional investment in any of the plot twists or character development. The whole thing falls apart gradually and escalates into an embarrassing farce in the last part.
At no point in the book do you fully understand the motivations of the bad guy(s), the actions of the victim family, and the plenty of changes they went through. In a story that relies on these inner conflicts to work, that's bad news. The thriller part of the story also falls flat because no malice, threat or danger was ever successfully established. It's a truly toothless and pulseless affair. Exceptionally bad.

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— Jun 22, 2011 | Add your feedback
- Der nasse Fisch (6)
- By Volker Kutscher
- Finished on Jun 17, 2011
  
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Der nasse Fisch

This is a very patient work of fiction that really takes its time to win you over. It ultimately did, when all its vast net of characters and subplots somewhat came together and the quite brilliant central dilemma of the protagonist emerged.
Starting out with a note of cold espionage thriller and ... (continue)

This is a very patient work of fiction that really takes its time to win you over. It ultimately did, when all its vast net of characters and subplots somewhat came together and the quite brilliant central dilemma of the protagonist emerged.
Starting out with a note of cold espionage thriller and quickly turning into a totally separate episode of local vice squad investigation, followed by another seemingly irrelevant murder investigation, which was then accompanied by more tales of the Berlin underground crime world, the Russian dissident movement, a treasure hunt and some love story/ political wrestle within the police department, this novel did fill its formidable volume with a LOT of plot. While stuck in the middle of all this stuff happening, it could feel quite disorienting and hopeless, not knowing where the author was going with it and constantly confused by the many character names. But somewhere in the second half of the book, a superb plot twist was set, which created not just a pulse-quickening turn of events but also a perfect moral dilemma. With one simple discovery it destroyed everything you thought you knew and put you in the hero's difficult position.
After that point, the story only took up speed and, while the ending did not live up to the promises of such a gigantic endeavor, ultimately delivered a satisfying read. The writing is vivid, ably evoking the visage and atmospheres of a Berlin shrouded in post-war mystery.

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— Jun 17, 2011 | Add your feedback
- Remainder (6)
- By Tom McCarthy
- Finished on May 18, 2011
  
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Remainder

Undoubtedly one of the maddest books I've ever read. It sort of reminds you of "The Truman Show" or all the movies-within-movies structures only turned inside out, if this description makes any sense. But essentially it's impossible to compare it to any established title or genre. It pursues its ver ... (continue)

Undoubtedly one of the maddest books I've ever read. It sort of reminds you of "The Truman Show" or all the movies-within-movies structures only turned inside out, if this description makes any sense. But essentially it's impossible to compare it to any established title or genre. It pursues its very own crazy idea and goes by its own rules, and does all that with a ferocity and relentlessness that bewilders, delights and even enrages.
The main character, whose name we never learned, suffers from some kind of trauma and gets a huge compensation. This is probably the only fully comprehensible and definable premise of the book. From there on, he goes on to capture something lost to him by unimaginable means. In the first 100 pages or so, during which the author set the stage quickly and drew us into the unique world of the protagonist, you can't help but be dazzled by the sublimely perceptive eye and wonderfully descriptive pen of McCarthy. Through a hero that's not particularly balanced in the head and articulate with words, he managed to recreate a very vivid mental state in which the hero finds himself and give us exact ideas of what he sees and craves. In turns funny, intriguing, brilliantly observant and humane, this part of the book is solid 5-star material. Up until the first undertaking of the hero, something perfectly harmless yet so crazy it scares you, I find myself tightly bound to this dream-like, almost otherworldly narrative. Absolutely riveting. But sadly it goes downhill from there.
In the remaining two-thirds of the book, the story only gets crazier and crazier, it's not that exploring the fully improbable is in itself a fault, but all these efforts ("re-enactments") of the protagonist get repetitive, stale and meaningless quickly. You know they are not meaningless to the guy ordering them but getting stuck in the middle of it is not the most enjoyable reading experience. You start to lose any connection you may have to the character and can get pretty provoked by the preposterous plot. By the last 100 pages or so, I was sure this book has lost me, to some extent irredeemably.
The ending is quite powerful, though. By finally letting the infuriating half-real world of the protagonist to collide with reality and confronting him with some "normal" perspectives, the incredible cruelty of the experiment and the human frailty on display are pretty shocking to watch.
In all, this is a one-of-a-kind story on perception, reality and the very core of the human experience. It's wildly ambitious, inventive and audacious, but can prove to be quite a drill for readers with a milder taste and a preference for coherent narratives.

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— May 18, 2011 | Add your feedback