Cuddy

Extremely beautiful, and haunting. Each section was worthy to stand on its own, but the picture painted through time by each led to a bigger picture that somehow made each piece resonate within its greater context. The last and first sections were my favorites, and I find myself thinking of them often, even now, especially Michael, now several months later. I am haunted by the conclusion of Michael's section, and still today, I think of him: I worry for him. I want to believe he escaped the confines of the restrictions of his beginnings with earnestness.

I really enjoyed the interstitial sections, and how as the story told in the text moved from the more distant past to the present (and how historically the form of the written English language and even the concept of prose became more rigidly defined) the text itself reflected that change. The medium is the message. Delightful!

The cycling characters were also really enjoyable in a way that felt both immediately comfortable and yet freshly novel. Meeting, parting, meeting again, but not. A delight to read, surely: to find them and see them and say, “Is that you again, my friend?”

Really a lovely book.

This is really ambitious and, though it didn't always work for me, was fascinating and passionate. Highly recommended.