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A review by justjoel
The Barrowfields by Phillip Lewis
4.0
I liked The Barrowfields much more than I expected to.
It's a slow-paced debut novel that almost feels like it belongs to another era. It's literary fiction that follows a young man who yearns to know his father, who is either (or possibly both) a genius or mentally ill. His search for identity and understanding is what drives the narrative, and there is a gentle exploration of the similarities and dissimilarities between the two. There is a romantic element to the story, but it is not the primary focus.
I did enjoy the author's storytelling. Coming from a small town myself, I felt like the protagonist's voice rang true, and was able to identify with him, and to a larger extent, I identified with his quest to know his father. The Gothic home on the hillside lent a gloomy and troubling air to the book's already somewhat depressing atmosphere but in a good way.
I enjoyed most of the book, except for part of Story's story. I thought the resolution to her quest to know her own father came too soon and far too simply, though it did provide a counterpoint to Henry's own quest to know his father.
My only other real issue with the book came from the repeated use of "could of" instead of "could've."
Yes, I know, it's not a big deal to many, but I don't care if it only exists in dialogue: I don't see why it is difficult to write properly. Why add something promoting illiteracy to a book that is pure literary fiction? It makes no sense.
It's a slow-paced debut novel that almost feels like it belongs to another era. It's literary fiction that follows a young man who yearns to know his father, who is either (or possibly both) a genius or mentally ill. His search for identity and understanding is what drives the narrative, and there is a gentle exploration of the similarities and dissimilarities between the two. There is a romantic element to the story, but it is not the primary focus.
I did enjoy the author's storytelling. Coming from a small town myself, I felt like the protagonist's voice rang true, and was able to identify with him, and to a larger extent, I identified with his quest to know his father. The Gothic home on the hillside lent a gloomy and troubling air to the book's already somewhat depressing atmosphere but in a good way.
I enjoyed most of the book, except for part of Story's story. I thought the resolution to her quest to know her own father came too soon and far too simply, though it did provide a counterpoint to Henry's own quest to know his father.
My only other real issue with the book came from the repeated use of "could of" instead of "could've."
Yes, I know, it's not a big deal to many, but I don't care if it only exists in dialogue: I don't see why it is difficult to write properly. Why add something promoting illiteracy to a book that is pure literary fiction? It makes no sense.