FICTION

Reinhardt’s Garden

by Mark Haber
Coffee House. Oct. 2019. 168p. ISBN 9781566895620. pap. $16.95; ebk. ISBN 9781566895705. F
COPY ISBN
Jacov Reinhardt, Croatian heir to a tobacco fortune, is obsessed to the point of insanity with the idea of melancholy as the deepest and most profound of human emotions. Driven by the trauma of his beloved twin sister’s death in childhood, he dedicates his life to a massive and, he hopes, world-changing revelation on the essence of melancholy. His years of study have led him to revere an obscure cleric, Emiliano Gomez Carrasquilla, whose writings he has inexplicably inverted into a coded treatise on melancholy. Carrasquilla is rumored to have sequestered himself deep in the South American jungle, so Jacov sets off with his loyal assistant (and the novel’s narrator) on an implausible and ill-equipped quest to find “the lost philosopher of melancholy.”
VERDICT Subverting the conventions of the late 19th–early 20th century novel of the obsessed European venturing into the jungle, Haber (Deathbed Conversions) has crafted a knowing (and perhaps at times too knowing) parody of the genre. Combine its brevity with its main character’s mania and almost religious elevation of melancholy, and the book might best be described as Heart of Darkness viewed in a fun house mirror.
Reviewed by Lawrence Rungren, Andover, MA , Sep 01, 2019
Comment Policy:
  • Be respectful, and do not attack the author, people mentioned in the article, or other commenters. Take on the idea, not the messenger.
  • Don't use obscene, profane, or vulgar language.
  • Stay on point. Comments that stray from the topic at hand may be deleted.
  • Comments may be republished in print, online, or other forms of media.
  • If you see something objectionable, please let us know. Once a comment has been flagged, a staff member will investigate.

RELATED 

FICTION

Black Woods, Blue Sky
by Ivey, Eowyn
FICTION

A Poisoner’s Tale
by Kemp, Cathryn
FICTION

Casualties of Truth
by Francis-Sharma, Lauren
FICTION

Show Don’t Tell: Stories
by Sittenfeld, Curtis
FICTION

She’s a Lamb!
by Hambrock, Meredith
FICTION

The Sirens
by Hart, Emilia
More
ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER?

We are currently offering this content for free. Sign up now to activate your personal profile, where you can save articles for future viewing

ALREADY A SUBSCRIBER?