Forest Dark

This book never really came together for me. I did find the Epstein sections more enjoyable and better written than the sections with the unnamed writer. The latter was full of philosophical ruminations that were a slog. Like others, I was disappointed that the two storylines never intertwined. Overall, a miss.

Forest Dark is two stories with two narrators; the paths of the narrators never cross. (I kept waiting. You kind of expect that, don't you?) Both narrators are at crossroads in their lives. The story of the rich old man was very compelling, as we follow him during his later years, abruptly, inexplicably, divorcing after a long marriage, giving away all his possessions, and moving to Israel. The second story is that of a well-respected writer who has writer's block and tries to remedy it by heading to Israel.

I found Krauss to be a deeply wise writer; I kept marking passages I loved throughout the book. I enjoyed the narrative of the old man, but I never felt deeply caught up in the writer's tale. The last third of the book was a bit of a struggle for me to get through.

Ultimately, I both liked and disliked this book. Maybe I'll resolve my issues with the lack of interconnectivity of the stories and my lack of affection for the writer's story on Monday night when I hear the author speak in Houston. I hope so.