Kooky, endearing ... Kivel’s narration remains droll and nonchalant, practically taunting the reader, as Evie’s circumstances become more and more absurd ... Evie leans on a bit of magic, it’s true, but what she actually gains from her adventure is far more modest: sincerity, dedication, openness to the world.
Beautifully radical ... Kivel’s magical realist plot can be described as a series of ordinary ideas taken to their logical extreme ... Wise ... Deserves the plaudits it will surely get and more. It’s hard to believe that a work so seemingly effortless and original could be a debut. Certainly, it’s the most fun I’ve had reading in years.
Full of DeLillo-style, mundane-yet-astute observations that revel in the joys and perils of modern ridiculousness ... With an air of Tom Robbins’ whimsy and a touch of Joy Williams’ psalms for the new world, Dwelling is lighthearted in its catastrophizing and non-prescriptive in its resolution. When the housing market gives you a shoe, make do.
I would very much like you to read this book for yourself. To entice you further, I will say there are surprises, even beyond the ones I’ve suggested above. This creative novel might just be a corrective for our current moment of absurdity, discontent, alienation and longing.
