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Twice nominated for the Booker Prize and admired for her inventive fiction, Levy (Real Estate; The Man Who Saw Everything) typically writes challenging books that appeal to fans of the work of Rachel Cusk and Ali Smith. Her latest, a more conventional novel, is well told and affecting.
The claustrophobic, all-encompassing dysfunction of Sofia's self-involved circle of friends and family is wrapped in the oppressive heat of Spain and the narrowing possibilities that she can (or wants to) break free. The Man Booker short-listed Levy (Swimming Home and Other Stories) draws in readers with beautiful language and unexpected moments of humor and shock. [See Prepub Alert, 1/25/16.]
Though the seemingly random events in the novel do come together after a second reading, most readers will find this a stream-of-consciousness mess. Recommended for those who like that genre and people willing to reread; book clubs may find this a challenging title, inspiring much debate.
The author of novels (Man Booker finalist Swimming Home), stories (Black Vodka, short-listed for the BBC International Short Story Award), and plays (some staged by the Royal Shakespeare Company), Levy shows her narrative roots in this dialog between "she," a sort of fallen angel, with "starry tattoos," "All wonderful and winged," and "He," who's "suburbia's satisfied son...
Levy successfully weaves historical, political, and personal threads together to form a nuanced account of her life and why she writes. Her graceful memoir/essay emphasizes a woman's need to speak out even if she has to use a quiet voice. For feminists and memoir enthusiasts.
Levy provides fragmentary glimpses into the fascinating lives of people at odds with their surroundings and profoundly disturbed by their previous experiences. Edgy, unsettling, and intoxicating.