sharkybookshelf's review
3.0
A cellist attends the funeral of her pianist and composer ex-husband, getting lost in the details of their past life together…
This is a great depiction of grief, or, more specifically, a great depiction of avoiding dealing with grief at a funeral and focusing on details instead. But it’s also a meditation on life and death, art and culture, words and writing, the physiology and emotions of the heart.
The stream-of-consciousness monologue is superbly written, with little details that slowly reveal the narrator’s unreliability, that grief is affecting her despite her best efforts to avoid accepting that. It’s subtle enough that I was doubting my own memory of what I’d read until the Translator’s Note (which is excellent, by the way).
But…the book is steeped in classical music - the narrator is a cellist, her ex-husband a pianist/composer and most of their friends connected to the world of classical music. There’s a rhythmic repetition to the writing, and plenty of references to pieces and composers. As much as I enjoy classical music, beyond the obvious comparisons of tempo, metronomes and heartbeats, I just don’t have the depth of knowledge to fully appreciate this book and its myriad classical references.
That said, I do recommend listening to the Goldberg Variations whilst reading - they’re referenced throughout and it’s also a fun way to feel terribly high-brow.
An excellent depiction of avoiding one’s grief and beautifully-written exploration of life, death and art but I just didn’t have the knowledge to fully appreciate the classical music references.
linguaphile412's review against another edition
dark
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Blood, Grief, Ableism, Body horror, Chronic illness, Medical content, and Body shaming
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