I found this to be a strange novel because while I wasn’t grabbed by the plot, I was engrossed by the style. O’Brien’s prose is, in fact, lush, and she quite easily moves between points of view without confusing the reader. Her voice changes as she adopts different characters. The use of multi-view narrative to tell a tragic story of a mentally ill person who does not really elicit sympathy because of his language and actions combined with the people surrounding him who live in a combination of fear and pity. It ends, as most things do, badly. In this complex narrative, O’Brien nudges the reader to think about the society and the responsible the society has to each member. One does one deal with a person who transcends society not because of will but because of illness or disability. It’s a strange story and worth reading.
Chris' Fish Place
Thoughts on things, mostly books.
I found this to be a strange novel because while I wasn’t grabbed by the plot, I was engrossed by the style. O’Brien’s prose is, in fact, lush, and she quite easily moves between points of view without confusing the reader. Her voice changes as she adopts different characters. The use of multi-view narrative to tell a tragic story of a mentally ill person who does not really elicit sympathy because of his language and actions combined with the people surrounding him who live in a combination of fear and pity. It ends, as most things do, badly. In this complex narrative, O’Brien nudges the reader to think about the society and the responsible the society has to each member. One does one deal with a person who transcends society not because of will but because of illness or disability. It’s a strange story and worth reading.
