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bjerz 's review for:
The Book of Air and Shadows
by Michael Gruber
The Book of Air and Shadows had me almost at the first sentence. The writing is engaging and silly, such as, "I suppose I am hiding out, but I can hardly bring myself to use such a dramatic term. In seclusion, let us say. Armed seclusion, let us say." And the story is crazy thrill ride across 500 years of history and intrigue.
The narrator, Jake Mishkin, is the odd result of a Nazi mother and Jewish father, with equally odd siblings. His life is falling apart around him, largely because of stupid choices on his part, and he writes honestly of his longings, failings and fears. He is caught up in a wild chase for a long-forgotten manuscript, along with a wannabe screen writer, his rare books restorer and maybe girlfriend, a Shakespeare scholar and old friend, and assorted family members and mobsters. It is as if Dan Brown developed a sense of humor and then wrote one of his mysteries. Only much better.
The ending is a bit a let down, a little too tied up in a big bow, but most of the story is a galloping fun ride. I highly recommend it.
The narrator, Jake Mishkin, is the odd result of a Nazi mother and Jewish father, with equally odd siblings. His life is falling apart around him, largely because of stupid choices on his part, and he writes honestly of his longings, failings and fears. He is caught up in a wild chase for a long-forgotten manuscript, along with a wannabe screen writer, his rare books restorer and maybe girlfriend, a Shakespeare scholar and old friend, and assorted family members and mobsters. It is as if Dan Brown developed a sense of humor and then wrote one of his mysteries. Only much better.
The ending is a bit a let down, a little too tied up in a big bow, but most of the story is a galloping fun ride. I highly recommend it.