At the Edge of the Woods

The book has some interesting writing. The first sentence is 52 words long. Two pages later, there is a 112-word sentence that has 13 commas and a semicolon. I kept wondering–is this bad writing, or is it intentional to reflect the thought process of the narrator?

I wondered that frequently through the book. It is split into 5 parts, but really, there are 3 distinct episodes. A flashback in the middle did not do anything for me; I didn't feel like it added anything and, in fact, sort of diminished my thoughts of the protagonist.

The “story” is sort of not. In book club this evening, I called this a “vibes book” because the story seems secondary to the author's description of nature, the cabin, and the sometimes hallucinatory experiences of the protagonist. The story meanders and doesn't really go anywhere, and has what I feel is an odd ending.

Wow.