Day

Though I think it will always be too soon for any fiction set during the pandemic, I enjoyed the pointillist detail of the prose and the unresolved tensions between characters who are varying degrees of trapped. Style and substance sometimes work at cross purposes, however. In “Day,” the writing is precious to the point where the interpersonal dramas ultimately feel forced.

What an exquisite gem of a book. Throw the “writer rules” out the window - in the hands of a master like Cunningham it doesn't matter if you head-hop, if your pace is slow and wandering, if your characters are not always totally relatable or sympathetic because you're caught in the writer's spell - willing to go where he takes you, knowing you'll be richer for it when you come out the other side. I loved the family, the willingness to incorporate the pandemic into the narrative, the different age groups and family dynamics. I was sad to leave this world when the book was done.

My thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for an advanced reader copy of the book for review.