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Asunder (2013)

by Chloe Aridjis(Favorite Author)

3.46 of 5 Votes: 2

ISBN

0544003462 (ISBN13: 9780544003460)

languge

English

genre

Fiction

publisher

Mariner Books

review 1: I have been looking forward to reading Chloe Aridjis' second novel, Asunder, ever since I read her Book of Clouds (previously reviewed). The language of both novels is stunning. Aridjis has a fabulous eye for description. Asunder follows a young woman who is a guard at London's National Gallery. At points, I thought she was connecting with Colin Whitehead's The Intuitionist and the warring factions of elevator inspectors. Jane, the museum guard, is displaced, out of step much like Tatiana in the Book of Clouds. Here the focus is on craquelure: the fractures in a painting's surface caused by the release of stress over time or from external impact. There is a delightful discussion about the forged craquelure. In essence, craquelure seems to be the underlying metaphor or stru... morecture for the novel. While not as strong or as fleshed out as Book of Clouds, Aridjis' second novel is worth reading. She is a gifted writer whose work I will always look for.
review 2: Beautifully written, atmospheric and evocative. However, I felt it suffered from the absence of a clear narrative thread. But I also think that feeling that proves that I'm the kind of person that likes my novels ham-fisted, with a PLOT and BACK STORY and A CLEAR CONCLUSION. Perhaps this novel was too smart for me; I kept feeling like I was trying to put my arms around fog. The writing is wonderful, did I mention that? But--what the...? less

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