Helpful Score: 7
O'Brien is very creative with the pacing and style in which he writes this book. It really reflects on the high cost of war upon a person. Although it refers to the main character's past in the Vietnam war, the strong references to PTSD and other difficulties are still very much something people can relate to today.
Helpful Score: 2
What happens when the secret you've hidden from everyone, even yourself, finally breaks out? This question provides the dramatic premise for Tin O'Brien's brilliant new novel, and it drives a narrative of astonishing force and ressonance.
On a lake, deep in Minnesota's north woods, John and Kathy Wade are trying to be reassemble thier lives. John, a rising political star, has just suffered a devastating electoral defeat. Kathy attempts to comfort her husbnd, but soon it becomes apparent that something is horribly wrong between them, that they have hidden toomuch from each other.
Then one day, Kathy vanishes. Thier boat is gone-did she drown or is she lost? Or did she flee, disappearing into a new life? As a massive search gets under way, the possibilities multiply in terrifying directions. Uncovering the truth requires an investigation of Wade's life.. and gradually we come to see that he is a sorcerer lost inside his own magic, a Houdini capable of escaping the chains of his darkest secret.
As tim O'Brien tells the story of a marriage built on deciet, he vividly illustrates the shifting, sometimes terrifying shape of the human heart. This beautifully crafted novel marks a new level of artistry for one of America's most gifter writers
On a lake, deep in Minnesota's north woods, John and Kathy Wade are trying to be reassemble thier lives. John, a rising political star, has just suffered a devastating electoral defeat. Kathy attempts to comfort her husbnd, but soon it becomes apparent that something is horribly wrong between them, that they have hidden toomuch from each other.
Then one day, Kathy vanishes. Thier boat is gone-did she drown or is she lost? Or did she flee, disappearing into a new life? As a massive search gets under way, the possibilities multiply in terrifying directions. Uncovering the truth requires an investigation of Wade's life.. and gradually we come to see that he is a sorcerer lost inside his own magic, a Houdini capable of escaping the chains of his darkest secret.
As tim O'Brien tells the story of a marriage built on deciet, he vividly illustrates the shifting, sometimes terrifying shape of the human heart. This beautifully crafted novel marks a new level of artistry for one of America's most gifter writers
Helpful Score: 1
I absolutely loved this book. I can't believe I missed it when it first came out. I read it from cover to cover in a matter of hours. I am not typically one to enjoy mysteries, but what I liked about this book was that the reader was left to form his/her own conclusions. Beautiful, evocative writing. Plenty of dramatic tension. One of the best books I have read in years.
Helpful Score: 1
I enjoyed reading this book very much. Very well written. But what a previous reviewer liked, I did not. I wanted the book to have a definite ending by the author. This one left me hanging, which I did not appreciate. I mean, you read to the end to find out the truth. There is not truth to be found in this novel. But again, very well written.
Helpful Score: 1
Great, great Tim O'Brien "novel"
Blurring the line of reality and allowing the reader to piece the puzzle together to the answer, brilliant
Blurring the line of reality and allowing the reader to piece the puzzle together to the answer, brilliant
