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A review by lcr16
A Ballet of Lepers: A Novel and Stories by Leonard Cohen
dark
emotional
medium-paced
4.5
Truly a treasure for fans of Leonard Cohen or not! The novella is a strong start with an intriguingly dark view of life. The main character seems to have a spark ignite in him upon seeing his long-lost grandfather beat a police officer while picking him up from the train station. The main character begins to be drawn to extreme acts and emotions, whether it is lust and sex with Marilyn, anger and ego with his coworker, or obsession and violence while stalking a baggage claim worker. In particular, the conversations between Marilyn and the main character are poignant, raw, and heart wrenching. She seems to be aware there is a change in the narrator, but believes it is his love for her, not the physical and emotional violence he craves. The only thing that seems to stop the violence is the narrator witnessing his grandfather beating the landlady whom the grandfather has sexually engaged with in the past. It is like a mirror to his own behavior and desires, dark and deeply honest.
The themes of darkness, honesty, and shock continue into the short stories. Many of the stories are sweetly mundane, contrasting with the dark themes. Like a mirror, many of the stories revolve around a repulsion to one's desires. One story incapsulates this perfectly. A man is remorsefully reminiscing on a past lover that is getting married in town. He goes over to drink with a buddy, recounting the past summer romance he let slip through his fingers due to his lack of honesty. Only then, his buddy reveals he too was sleeping with the same women that summer. Bereft, he goes back to her house only to see her once more and wonder if she will join him one last time. Shame, lust, and a desire for violence seem permeate the pages of this earlier previously unearthed work of Cohen's. The biggest flaw is his use of archetypical characters in lieu of character building. Thank you NetGalley and Grove Atlantic for the ARC!
The themes of darkness, honesty, and shock continue into the short stories. Many of the stories are sweetly mundane, contrasting with the dark themes. Like a mirror, many of the stories revolve around a repulsion to one's desires. One story incapsulates this perfectly.