This is a difficult read, heavy in language and word accretion, an interior monologue wrapped like a Quest through a Labyrinth at times fantastical, other times not unlike a journey through a deranged mind. It is Cat Valente's first novel, possibly her most poetic and lyrical, but also raw like an unpolished gem - full of whatever it could be, but not quite there yet. And as hard as it is to talk about the plot of a novel which doesn't have much of one, the ending left me quite cold.
I admit it, if this had been my first Valente novel I'm not sure I would've bothered with a second one, or even to the end. It is however a very interesting read as part of an author's journey, compared to her more recent writings.
...Continua
