One love story, three permutations, Eve, Pari and Liam. This is an extraordinary novel formed from quite exquisite prose and concepts which derive from Buddhist principles of reincarnation and rebirth. The stories fuse and combine then split and diverge across the novel quite organically and seamlessly.
Self-destruction is never far from the surface and elements of the book can be seen as quite heartbreaking until you summon your inner Buddhist. Then it all forms part of a cohesive whole. The book could be viewed as a protracted paradox and what can be seen as a seemingly straightforward fictional narrative moves into an almost existential parallel universe with a sometimes dreamlike quality as the scenes and times shift.
It’s an ambitious novel to challenge many a reader conceptually and philosophically. But the rewards are rich and there is a very real sense, for me, of having experienced something very special. The characters, though, are not always good people all the time! In some cases they’re downright obnoxious! Elements of their relationships are toxic and destructive. But they all seem driven by a desire that’s not necessarily of their own making. There is a sense that they’re all powerless to have any kind of control over their own fates.
Love, art and beauty are the core themes of the novel. These disciplines intersect between the lives of the protagonists and their almost shapeshifting roles. Although in a sense it is a book which defies any specific categorisation for it deals with some pertinent issues in our current world as well as issues that affect individuals- ambition, creativity, fate even. Perhaps the opening quotation by the physicist Carlo Rovelli offers a clue as to what follows from the beginning to the conclusion of the book.
‘…our knowledge of time has reached: up to the brink of that vast nocturnal and star-studded ocean of all that we still don’t know.’
The concept of a constellation – several stars forming a whole - together with the biblical connotations of Eve propel us into an almost metaphysical landscape. There is one part where the book seems to sum up its own achievement!
‘…the stupor exceptional art tended to induce.’
Eve is an artist and throughout the book a mosaic is being constructed which reinforces that concept of several components creating a whole, like a constellation and I found the mosaic as a metaphor for life quite powerful.
Lovers of a conventional story structure might find the book challenging but I would urge anyone to persevere and surrender yourself to the beautiful writing and the original ideas within the book. I guess it takes the sliding doors concept to a whole new level! There are those who believe that the position of the stars accounts for the outcome of significant moments in their lives and it is fascinating to contemplate how events would pan out with even a small shift in time and the universe.
My thanks to Isabelle Kenyon for a copy of the book.
No comments:
Post a Comment