Swimming Home by Deborah LevyMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
The way this story is told, it is almost as if everything has already happened before it begins, except everyone is still alive. Then little layers of details peel off as the novel moves through the week, with some repeated dialogue and repeated images. Different forms of verbal prowess have to be demonstrated to account for a poet, a possibly crazy poet, a journalist, and a young girl. I enjoyed it as an unusual addition to the Booker shortlist, although I understand this author is highly acclaimed if infrequently published. I liked the writing and would like to read more of her work.
"Early humans had once lived in this mountain forest. They knew the past lived in rocks and trees and they knew desire made them awkward, mad, mysterious, messed up."
"It shouldn't be happening, his search for love in her, but it was. He would go to the ends of the earth to find love. He was trying not to, but the more he tried not to search, the more there was to find...This was more her landscape, a catastrophic poem in itself."
"The tension of waiting to meet each other again had made them do things they did not understand."
I am glad that you like this book. I thought that it was a well written, and interesting, book. I think that it really deserves it place on this list. I have never written her work before. But, I am planning to hunt for some more of her stuff now. My review may be found on my other blog http://vikzreadsthebooker.wordpress.com/2012/09/19/another-booker-review-warning-go-no-further-if-you-have-not-read-this-book-stop-here-there-will-be-spoilers/
ReplyDelete