So honestly, he needed a better editor.

And I understand that when you are insane and writing the first novel that Russia has seen it is hard to find a good editor; and I understand that it was in vogue to be verbose, or as they would say – to eloquently describe every particular of the scene, but please – spare me.

Conceptually the story is interesting, from a literature theory point of view, he is using techniques that would come to define a style triumphed maybe fifty years later, but working through the text is difficult, and in the end not all that rewarding as the end of Part I is not conclusive, urging readers to look forward to parts II & III.

(Part III was never written, Part II was written twice and burned both times – though fragments (which I refused to read) remain.)

I think his short stories will be more promising – and I give him both those stars for cleverness and technique, not for creating a novel I wanted to read.

Book Group – June 2007