I recently came across an article which talked about how brain researchers made strides in understanding the function of specific regions by studying brains with damages or wounds. The whole idea of understanding something by comparing it with a reduced form of itself was fascinating for me. With a protagonist who is cursed with being forgotten, this book presents a similar opportunity for understanding our subjective reality by comparing it with a reduced form of itself, one where all relations are ephemeral.
With an interesting blurb and a fancy cover art, this book lures you in with a whiff of an uncommon curse that has the potential for an interesting storyline. Alas, like the protagonist, this book is bound to be forgotten the moment you put it down. Even with a story spanning 300 years and 400 pages, there isn’t a single scene that stands out. Personally, I blame it on the “show-and-tell” nature of the narration where every single action is not just expressed, but explicitly spelled out and explained for the reader.
There are patches of excitement and moments of silent thought, where the author uses the bizarre nature of the curse to touch upon human experiences and feelings that we would otherwise take for granted. Coupled with some beautiful descriptions of what it feels to be young and in love in NY, the second half of the book flies by far faster than the first.
But there aren’t nearly enough beautiful lines in here for me to recommend this book to anyone.