A review by susiedoom
Ducks, Newburyport by Lucy Ellmann

4.0

This book is a trek. It's mesmerizing and anxiety-inducing and mind-blowing all at once. I would certainly call it a test of endurance - over 1,000 pages, written in one long stream-of-consciousness ramble, with intermittent narratives from the point of view of a mountain lion. I know, right? Why did I keep slogging through this bizarre narrative? Well, because it was impossible to stop reading, for one. It's also fascinating, and so strange that I just had to keep going. I suppose I'm glad I did; I don't think I could have slept peacefully if I hadn't followed it through to the end. The format, writing, structure, concept - all of it was unique and really made me reconsider a lot about literature. Do I think the point could have been made with 500 fewer pages? Honestly, yes. But either way, it's a book that I know I'll think about at random times throughout the rest of my life. So I guess if it took 1,000 pages to completely change my perspective, it was worth it.