Scan barcode
A review by mariebrunelm
Possession by A.S. Byatt
challenging
dark
informative
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I don't exactly know what I've just read but wow, that book is a ride.
We follow several scholars of literature in the 1980s, investigating the case of a famous (fictional) poet, Randolph Henri Ash, and his mysterious connexions. There follows an immensely lyrical, dark academia tale of 19th-century poetry, longing and expressing what refuses to be put into words. A.S. Byatt manages to create imaginary 19th-century poets interacting with famous names from history, to compose the poems of these artists, and to write pages of academia studying these poets and their texts. I'm truly baffled. The elaborate language she uses sometimes lost me, but I am certainly in awe of what Byatt has achieved here. She weaves the two timelines (the poets' and the researchers') in a myriad of literary forms including novel, poetry, letters - and what letters! Her characters are nuanced, and so are their relationships, with no clear-cut definition which leaves room for a lot of representation. The purely British atmosphere is tactile, and her description of a quaint bathroom alone is worth a read.
Rep : polyamourous character, ace-spec characters (with a frustrating outcome, but I won't spoil the last pages).
We follow several scholars of literature in the 1980s, investigating the case of a famous (fictional) poet, Randolph Henri Ash, and his mysterious connexions. There follows an immensely lyrical, dark academia tale of 19th-century poetry, longing and expressing what refuses to be put into words. A.S. Byatt manages to create imaginary 19th-century poets interacting with famous names from history, to compose the poems of these artists, and to write pages of academia studying these poets and their texts. I'm truly baffled. The elaborate language she uses sometimes lost me, but I am certainly in awe of what Byatt has achieved here. She weaves the two timelines (the poets' and the researchers') in a myriad of literary forms including novel, poetry, letters - and what letters! Her characters are nuanced, and so are their relationships, with no clear-cut definition which leaves room for a lot of representation. The purely British atmosphere is tactile, and her description of a quaint bathroom alone is worth a read.
Rep : polyamourous character, ace-spec characters (with a frustrating outcome, but I won't spoil the last pages).
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexism