A review by dawntin
As She Climbed Across the Table by Jonathan Lethem

funny mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

This was a funny satirical novel involving academia, love, and physics. The plot was quirky and interesting. However, I didn’t connect to any of the characters that much. Almost every character was a professor at Beauchamp University. They were too quirky, but that was probably the point of the book. I thought Philip was insufferable (he talked way too much) in his pursuit of Alice, but I also felt bad for him sometimes. The other people are only ever seen through Philip’s perspective, so their characterization was more than a little wonky.

There were a few WTF moments, like when Philip was so jealous he imagined Alice sleeping with other men, and when Cynthia basically

Spoiler

forced herself onto him to tell him his relationship with Alice is toxic

. I also thought the Christmas party chapter could have been more concise, because I didn’t really care for those minor characters and Philip’s interactions with them by that point. Pacing was a little off.

Besides all the issues, I thought the dialogue in the novel was amazing. There were some great lines like, “I’m not sure I really exist, except under your observation.” There was also one part where Philip and Alice were hugging and I thought it was very sweet.