A review by secre
The Shelf Life of Happiness by David Machado
2.0
This is a novel that meanders rather aimlessly through its story which has no real purpose... possibly because purpose seems superfluous in the chaos that is a directionless Portugal. No job, no real chance of a job, family split across countries and still looking forward with a chance of hope.
This is well written, it just doesn't seem to go anywhere fast or perhaps even anywhere at all and so it seems rather pointless at the end. The characters are, by and large, miserable, although they have a good reason for being so... and the entire set up for the novel is an imaginary letter to a man in prison who refuses to see anyone. Even that's rather pointless as he'll never read it and there will be no response.
It is a clever look at family life when all goes wrong, but I can't say it drew me in or enthralled me. Rather, I plodded through it waiting to see if it was actually going to go anywhere. It didn't.
So 3/5; it's intriguing and well written but it's also purposeless and rather pointless. The characters are dreary and I didn't feel the pull that I get with a great novel.
This is well written, it just doesn't seem to go anywhere fast or perhaps even anywhere at all and so it seems rather pointless at the end. The characters are, by and large, miserable, although they have a good reason for being so... and the entire set up for the novel is an imaginary letter to a man in prison who refuses to see anyone. Even that's rather pointless as he'll never read it and there will be no response.
It is a clever look at family life when all goes wrong, but I can't say it drew me in or enthralled me. Rather, I plodded through it waiting to see if it was actually going to go anywhere. It didn't.
So 3/5; it's intriguing and well written but it's also purposeless and rather pointless. The characters are dreary and I didn't feel the pull that I get with a great novel.