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A review by ondrobondro
The Familiar, Volume 1: One Rainy Day in May by Mark Z. Danielewski
4.0
I was a little apprehensive about starting on this one, because a 27 volume series is something of an investment (especially at this page count), and I wasn't sure how I'd go if I ended up not enjoying it. Danielewski is one of my favourite authors, so I feared I might feel obligated to continue with it. But I'm pleased to say that I had a pretty great time with this book. It's good. Very good, actually.
Admittedly I found some of the subplots a little difficult - I can see that they'll intersect with the main story at some point, but I just found myself unable to care about most of them. Many of the plots are completely different genres, written in very different ways, which can be really difficult to switch your brain to. That being said all of the tricky sections are more than made up for by the main storyline of Xanther and her parents. The parent/child relationship is so beautifully defined and developed that it's difficult not to fall in love with the story, and for me that was enough to keep me interested.
So I'll be reading the next one in the series, certainly. From there, we'll see.
Admittedly I found some of the subplots a little difficult - I can see that they'll intersect with the main story at some point, but I just found myself unable to care about most of them. Many of the plots are completely different genres, written in very different ways, which can be really difficult to switch your brain to. That being said all of the tricky sections are more than made up for by the main storyline of Xanther and her parents. The parent/child relationship is so beautifully defined and developed that it's difficult not to fall in love with the story, and for me that was enough to keep me interested.
So I'll be reading the next one in the series, certainly. From there, we'll see.