Tuesday, July 11, 2006

Initial thoughts on a book

Sometimes after reading a book, I discover that I can't immediately put pen to paper to write a review. It's almost like I need time to digest the book, to formulate my response and truly figure out my reaction to it. The Memory Keeper's Daughter is such a book. It's an amazing novel, to put it bluntly, but there is so much to think about that I barely know where to begin.

Do I talk about the treatment of children with Down's Syndrome? Or focus on the nature of twins? Or the consequences choices have over decades? Being physically present in a relationship yet emotionally not there? Photography as a window into a person's soul? The relationship of the cover image to the story?

Perhaps I am paralyzed by too many options and so many words in my head. In the meantime, do yourself a favour and run out to buy this book. You won't regret it...now I'll go back to pondering, and hopefully write my review.


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2 comments:

kimbofo said...

It sounds fabulous. The cover is intriguing too -- I always judge books by their covers!

Anonymous said...

I think it was Virginia Woolf who said that some books need time to come together as a whole in the mind. A good novel is like shards of something sharp and sweet that stick into cracks and crevices in your experiences, resonating and that only after some thinking do they come back together again for perusal. Tis a sure sign of a good novel I think and I often find that reviews ripen in me. :-)