One online reviewer wrote "Sometimes a writer just wants to write a long, panoramic book, but for white male novelists this move has become fraught, a seeming bid to occupy more space in bookstores and newspaper pages than they deserve" but maybe, just maybe, these white male novelists DO deserve as much space as Zadie Smith, and definitely more space than Hanya Yanagihara and Rebecca Kuang, because some of these men are in fact good writers.

Despite his presumably inferior gender and skin tone, Nathan Hill is a very talented writer and his debut novel took ten years until it was finally accepted by a publishing house. I wonder if his work would have been accepted sooner if he was non-binary, homosexual or had less visible aryan traits.

This is a must read for everyone who loves Great American novels with vibrant characters. Every character has their own voice and style, which makes this novel very enjoyable. I has its all: good prose, interesting tension, the right pace. The only thing that made this book a four star novel for me was the fact that it lacks the deeper layers that function as subtle criticism of modern day society. The characters were a bit too well-defined to identify with. It makes for a fun way of escaping reality, but it also creates a certain distance. Near the end I lost some of my interest in the (at times disjointed) story. I prefer novels with slightly more complicated characters, novels that make me think about people's incentives, in relation to myself and to the world around me. I'm hopeful that Hill will develop his literary skills to build a wonderful oeuvre in the years to come.

P. S.
Max Bruch has been a popular composer and director during his life and ever since. His first violin concerto was revised by Joseph Joachim, one of the best violinists ever. His beautiful piece for cello and orchestra Kol Nidrei was very popular in its time, and even today. Bruch was a friend of Brahms (who is my personal favorite composer). His music was not allowed to be played during WW2 in Nazi Germany because of the Jewish elements in his music, but that was long after his death. He did not die broke, he died with three Honorary doctorates to his name! If you want to listen to something else than his famous works, my suggestion would be his 8 pieces for viola, clarinet and piano. It is both a delight to perform (I used to play the viola) and to listen to.

The Nix - Likewise Book Reviews

10 Reviews