Nicholas Flokos

The beginning of this reads like a poem. I could not keep still for joy at the twists of language in the first few chapters, and the first exchange with Gabrielle is a skilled and suprising dance. Susanna ruins everything: her appearance brings down the prose, her influence on Photi is unearned and a reader cannot understand her appeal. Maybe this is part of the effect: a particular failing common to humanity, that of idolizing without a clear look at the idol. The climax of the book, the van trip, falls short in many respects, and the story ends in an obscure slump. I wanted the final strokes to mean more. Good, but not rewarding.… (altro)