Told from Portia’s and then her lover Theo’s unreliable perspectives, the close third-person narration takes us through a nonlinear story that revisits past events from multiple angles. Even when it comes to Nathan and Theo, perception and memory are multilayered and flawed. Plunkett applies a soft touch when rendering minds in turmoil, offering both reader and character relief through the escapes of music, love and small-town landscape.
Intimate, fractured ... Simultaneously sensitive to Portia’s perception and muddy in its chronology, the novel succeeds in accumulating a faceted psychological profile, but its indulgent length (including excursions into Theo’s point of view), the absence of plot dynamism, and the limited appeal of the characters leave it partially stranded. Stronger on empathy than engagement.
Perceptive ... Short, intense chapters reflect Portia’s mental state and preoccupation with finding what she really wants out of life...and the story’s momentum dwindles and surges along with her moods. It adds up to an incisive portrait of mental health and the search for autonomy.
