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octoelle 's review for:
In the Garden of the Fugitives
by Ceridwen Dovey
Often when I read a novel, I find myself skimming through and then doubling back to read in more detail. Sometimes I'll read the end chapter and then skip back and forth to bits that need more explanation. In the case of Ceridwen Dovey's In the Garden of the Fugitives this is unnecessary. From the very beginning, Dovey lays out the story. There is no need to dart back-and-forth. However, toward the end there is a hidden, secret denouement. I read past it at first then had the "Aha!" moment. Even if you skip to the end, this moment will not be evident unless you read the entire book.
Ceridwen Dovey is a skillful, intelligent writer. She knows her subject, whether it be the archeological realm of Pompeii or the ins-and-outs of psychotherapy methods. I would venture that the two protagonists are pitted against each other in the same psych. arena. I only realised this after I finished the book and had to return to where I felt, or rather I sensed, where and when the denouement occurred. In retrospect, I realise that the timeline is not necessarily linear either.
If you do attempt this book, do not be put off by the format - letters (or emails). Be alert to the strength and significance of Dovey's writing. It is illuminating. It is surprising. It is subtle and nuanced. It is unsettling and haunting.
This book, for me, is extraordinarily, mine.
Ceridwen Dovey is a skillful, intelligent writer. She knows her subject, whether it be the archeological realm of Pompeii or the ins-and-outs of psychotherapy methods. I would venture that the two protagonists are pitted against each other in the same psych. arena. I only realised this after I finished the book and had to return to where I felt, or rather I sensed, where and when the denouement occurred. In retrospect, I realise that the timeline is not necessarily linear either.
If you do attempt this book, do not be put off by the format - letters (or emails). Be alert to the strength and significance of Dovey's writing. It is illuminating. It is surprising. It is subtle and nuanced. It is unsettling and haunting.
This book, for me, is extraordinarily, mine.