meganokonsky 's review for:

Caging Skies by Christine Leunens

3.0

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This is a tough one, because I find myself really wanting to read more of Leunens’ work but worried I’ll be disappointed. Her prose is masterful. “God did not take life away; no, He simply reabsorbed His colors” is one of the most beautiful things I’ve read all year. And yet I find myself wanting to go back and wonder exactly what to make of Johannes and his motivations. He was a prisoner of the Nazi party, then his disability, then his grief, and yet I feel no sympathy for him. I don’t know if there was a better way to end this book because we aren’t given many avenues in which to feel satisfied. I really enjoyed the exploration of post-WWII Austria, so starting the book with that second half may have made the story less of a slog. There were so many great ideas and sentences here. It just didn’t come together.