A review by greggsfl
Ibid: A Life by Mark Dunn
4.0
Conceived as "a novel in footnotes" (although more correctly they should be called endnotes), Ibid tells its narrative indirectly. As readers we never know the full story of the main character. However, we can gain an overall impression of his life story, and by reading the digressions made in the endnotes we get flavors that we could not through a standard novel.
I was interested in this book because I enjoyed the author's Ella Minnow Pea. That novel also played with narrative style, but in a more satisfying way I feel. I enjoyed Dunn's humor throughout Ibid, including his references to historic figures that have fallen out of the modern American consciousness.
Not a great novel, but a fun, different, and quick read nonetheless.
I was interested in this book because I enjoyed the author's Ella Minnow Pea. That novel also played with narrative style, but in a more satisfying way I feel. I enjoyed Dunn's humor throughout Ibid, including his references to historic figures that have fallen out of the modern American consciousness.
Not a great novel, but a fun, different, and quick read nonetheless.