Somber ... This austere, tamped-down novel is frustratingly committed to silence. Passions still smolder below the surface, but there is not enough oxygen to let them flame into life.
Vera’s aphasia and their parents’ separation could use more explanation, and Dusapin’s focus on the sisters makes the narrative a bit claustrophobic. Nevertheless, this is a soulful look, heavy with regret, at the ties we cannot break no matter how hard we try.
