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A review by danieltodd
The Spell by Alan Hollinghurst
2.0
Prose style lush as always but this book is severely held back by an absence of likeable characters. Self-pitying, egotistical, vapid caricatures who are all physically beautiful.... and that's it. And the only woman in the book is a mute alcoholic: fantastic.
As with much Hollinghurst the narratives are tainted by a bizarre mixture of implausibility and laughable predictability. The beauty of his word-craft (this particular novel contains some of the best similes I have ever read) makes it feel as though real tenderness is always on the brink of occurring.... until it actually occurs that there are no stakes involved because the characters suck - especially Justin, who is completely vexing.
The younger characters - Danny, Terry, Lars - could have been explored in much greater depth. Perhaps the message of the novel is that everyone becomes insufferable after about 23?
As with much Hollinghurst the narratives are tainted by a bizarre mixture of implausibility and laughable predictability. The beauty of his word-craft (this particular novel contains some of the best similes I have ever read) makes it feel as though real tenderness is always on the brink of occurring.... until it actually occurs that there are no stakes involved because the characters suck - especially Justin, who is completely vexing.
The younger characters - Danny, Terry, Lars - could have been explored in much greater depth. Perhaps the message of the novel is that everyone becomes insufferable after about 23?