PositiveThe Washington Independent Review of Books... an unexpected pairing of themes — friendship and violence — sets this story apart. And so does the manner in which it is told. There is nothing sentimental about the narrative: Price has given us an unflinching, unromantic story in clear and uncomplicated prose ... There are no writerly gimmicks or tricks here. There really isn’t a subtext to speak of, either. What we’re offered instead is an exploration of the complexities of human behavior and suffering examined with depth, honesty, and sadness ... Scenes are strung together effortlessly, and emotions are rendered so convincingly that, at times, this novel is difficult to read. Private and intimate acts are portrayed like close-ups in a movie ... Kate’s inevitable breakdown and acts of self-harm are so realistic that I felt like I was going through her ordeal myself ... What I found to be problematic were the scattered point-of-view shifts into the attacker’s mind — likely the author’s attempt to give us more than a one-dimensional, monster-type character. She was unable to pull it off ... If there is an uneasiness in reading this novel, it is a deliberate and effective one. What might also be deliberate is what’s missing: warmth and genuine human connection ... remarkable, raw.
Jennifer Acker
PositiveThe Washington Independent Review of BooksThe complexity of the novel lies in how Acker skillfully reveals the various ways that we can feel invisible: personally, culturally, geographically, and historically ... Urmila’s elderly father orates the history of his people in passages woven throughout the narrative that add an important and engrossing dimension to this saga, his quiet, colloquial voice creating lyrical interludes in an otherwise straightforward tale ... The idea of place is central to the novel and is its strength...Acker excels at using setting to enhance our understanding of the Chandaria family. Her writing about place is not only lovely, but also suggestive of deeper psychological states ... Whether we are in a tiny Boston apartment, a house in suburban Ohio, on the streets of Nairobi, or in the house-turned-museum of a famous writer, we are acutely aware of the influence of our surroundings on our being. I wished for more of this: nuanced and imaginative sentences — rather than dialogue and summary — that lead readers to gradual revelations ... There is quite a lot going on in this book. To Acker’s credit, she doesn’t let it get out of hand. At times, however, the energy is drained, especially in the long sections concerning Sunil’s philosophical musings ... I suspect that Jennifer Acker is an emerging novelist to keep an eye on, one in conversation with writers like Anne Tyler, Alice Munro, and Tessa Hadley. One who is paying close attention to the ways in which we manage to live, love, and transcend the limits of the world.
Jennifer Acker
PositiveWashington Independent Review of Books... a fictional atmosphere in which the interconnected, globalized world serves as the backdrop to an intimate domestic space in which a family grapples with what it means to belong ... The complexity of the novel lies in how Acker skillfully reveals the various ways that we can feel invisible: personally, culturally, geographically, and historically ... The idea of place is central to the novel and is its strength. Not surprisingly, Acker...excels at using setting to enhance our understanding of the Chandaria family. Her writing about place is not only lovely, but also suggestive of deeper psychological states ... There is quite a lot going on in this book. To Acker’s credit, she doesn’t let it get out of hand. At times, however, the energy is drained, especially in the long sections concerning Sunil’s philosophical musings. Yet we do begin to be charmed by him and cheer him on ... What he will make of it all keeps us reading.
