A review by rebeccablomgren
The Spell, by Alan Hollinghurst
1.0
Simply put, this novel is about four gay men and their relationships that are always in a state of falling apart or coming together. The prose is beautiful, and the main reason I picked up The Spell . Having never read Hollinghurst, I was excited to delve into one of his works and see what all the hype was about.
Evidently, I picked the wrong novel. The characters are not just unlikable (which I could handle), they're entirely two-dimensional, propelled by the most basic of desires. There's no motivation, no real struggle, no chance for any kind of development. It's all just a merry go round of who's sleeping with who and uneventful weekends in the British countryside. It was hard to find anything to really like or dislike in this novel, as everything felt tepid and bland. The only thing that really stuck out to me as negative was the opening chapter. Why is Robin the only character to get a background chapter set years before the rest of the story? It didn't contribute anything save for setting up his flippant, unattached, attitude that everyone save for Alex shares.
The Spell is a good novel if you want to zone out and read something pretty. Other than that, it has no story to speak of and the characters are pointless.
Evidently, I picked the wrong novel. The characters are not just unlikable (which I could handle), they're entirely two-dimensional, propelled by the most basic of desires. There's no motivation, no real struggle, no chance for any kind of development. It's all just a merry go round of who's sleeping with who and uneventful weekends in the British countryside. It was hard to find anything to really like or dislike in this novel, as everything felt tepid and bland. The only thing that really stuck out to me as negative was the opening chapter. Why is Robin the only character to get a background chapter set years before the rest of the story? It didn't contribute anything save for setting up his flippant, unattached, attitude that everyone save for Alex shares.
The Spell is a good novel if you want to zone out and read something pretty. Other than that, it has no story to speak of and the characters are pointless.