Blood Kin

by Ceridwen Dovey

A president has been overthrown by a military coup in a nameless country in an unspecified era. The president's barber, chef, and portraitist are imprisoned, with many others, in a remote palace in the hills high above the city center. Before the coup, these three men worked with unquestioning loyalty, serving the president in seemingly benign jobs. Now, forced to serve the country's new leader, they begin to reconsider their role in the old regime.

In simple, elegant prose "Blood Kin" alternates between the voices of the barber, the chef, and the portraitist. Later in the book their wives, lovers, and daughters tell their own tales. As the old order falls, so does the veil that hides the truth about these men and women's secret passions. No one, it seems, is entirely immune to the many temptations of power.

Ceridwen Dovey's debut is a welcome addition to the important tradition of allegorical writing about political upheaval and personal guilt. Her clever, magnetic story will resonate with fans of J. M. Coetzee, Mario Vargas Llosa, and Gabriel Garcí­a Márquez.

Genres: Fiction, Literary Fiction, Australia, Audiobook, Adult, Novels, Africa

183 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

Ceridwen Dovey grew up in South Africa and Australia, studied as an undergraduate at Harvard, and now lives in Sydney. Her first novel, Blood Kin, was translated into fifteen languages and selected for the US National Book Foundation’s prestigious ‘5 Under 35’ award. J.M. Coetzee called it ‘A fable of the arrogance of power beneath whose dreamlike surface swirl currents of complex sensuality.' Her second work of fiction, Only the Animals, will be published by Penguin in 2014 (Australia) and Farrar, Straus & Giroux in 2015 (USA).

Reviews

[Walter · Rating 2 out of 5]

This novel garnered terrific reviews and was selected for at least one prestigious prize (the National Book Foundation’s “5 under 35”). I had high hopes. However, I have to agree with a comment made earlier on this site – the novel reads more like practice at writing a novel than a novel itself. The premise is interesting enough: a series of unnamed first-person narrators respond to a political coup of some sort in some unnamed country. But since the characters don’t quite manage to come alive, nor are they meaningfully differentiated from each other, the premise morphs into an uncomfortably forced conceit.

Still, the novel is an interesting read and, at 183 pages, a speedy one. Occasionally the language shines but more often, some of the best ideas and images repeat themselves, as though the reader isn’t quite to be trusted. For example, the chef is particularly fond of serving abalone to his various masters. His process for killing an abalone, when first described, is chillingly revealing:

“As soon as I arrived, I would place the live abalone on the floor of the pantry. They were always tense from being transported and had to calm down before I could kill them, otherwise the flesh would be tough. I would leave them there until everything else was almost ready, then creep up on them and hit them on their soft underbellies with the end of a rolling pin. If they sensed me coming they contracted like a heart muscle and were wasted.”

However, the abalone death scene repeats itself several times, which saps its power considerably.

In all, I’ll be interested to read the author’s next endeavor. She plays with a lot of good ideas in this novel, but despite its neat ending, so tidily wrapped up, the ideas don’t quite gel. Perhaps next time they will.

[R · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't know what this was, but it didn't work

[EpidermaS · Rating 4 out of 5]

Władza to nie tylko dyktatura, wywołująca strach i bezwzględne posłuszeństwo. Nie. To też siła fizyczna, przez którą inni boją się nam przeciwstawić. To wykorzystywanie własnej atrakcyjności w celu zaspokojenia rozbuchanego ego. To świadoma zabawa uczuciami innych. Władzą nad sobą samym jest podejmowanie racjonalnych wyborów życiowych. Ale z drugiej strony – czy poznawanie sekretów innych ludzi i „zamykanie” ich w sobie nie jest również pewnym rodzajem kontroli? Władza ma wiele aspektów. Wiele smaków, odcieni, zapachów… I wszystkimi z nich bombarduje nas „Krew władzy”.

Może wyda się Wam to śmieszne, ale tak właśnie widzę trzech głównych bohaterów: Fryzjera, Kucharza i Portrecistę. Jako uosobienia wymienionych wcześniej wrażeń zmysłowych. Fryzjer codziennie ma kontakt z Prezydentem, a później - z Komendantem. Dzień w dzień trzyma nad gardłem władców brzytwę. Mógłby to zakończyć jednym sprawnym ruchem. Jedno cięcie. Tylko tyle. Czemu tego nie robi? Nie musi. Wystarczy mu sam fakt, że MÓGŁBY to zrobić. Ironiczne jest to, że gdyby faktycznie posunąłby się do zabójstwa, jego władza w tym zakresie po prostu by się skończyła. Dlatego póki co panuje nad swoimi klientami poprzez zmysły zapachu i dotyku. Z lekkim rozbawieniem obserwuje zachowania mężczyzn, kiedy masuje im głowę. Wie, że za nic w świecie nie przyznaliby się, iż sprawia im to niemal mistyczną przyjemność. Uzależnia ich od siebie. Zjednuje ich sobie. Włada nimi.

Kucharz jednoznacznie wiąże się ze zmysłem smaku. Potrafi wyczarować potrawy, którymi z łatwością zaspokaja wybredne gusta smakowe Największych. Zna się na tym jak mało kto. Czy mógłby zabić? Z łatwością. Wystarczyłoby jedna „przypadkowa” pomyłka, by w daniu znalazła się trująca substancja. Czemu tego nie robi? Podobnie jak w przypadku Fryzjera władza Kucharza jest tylko potencjalna. Po morderstwie przestałaby istnieć. Kucharzowi wystarcza sam fakt podjadania dań, które przygotowuje dla swoich Przełożonych. Dzięki temu czuje się równie ważny jak oni. Aktem władzy w jego wykonaniu jest także zabijanie skorupiaków. Robi to cicho i bezwzględnie, ale jednocześnie dość brutalnie. Wie, że „ofiary” muszą być zaskoczone w momencie śmierci. I w żaden sposób go to nie brzydzi.

Szans na zabicie Prezydenta lub Komendanta nie ma tylko Portrecista. Absurdalne jest jednak to, że być może posiada on największą władzę z całej trójki. To pociągnięcia jego pędzla decydują o tym, jaka pamięć po władcy zostanie zachowana na malowidłach. To właśnie barwy przez niego użyte wpływają na to, czy władca będzie się wyglądał na potężnego i mądrego człowieka, czy przejdzie do historii jako zmęczony, schorowany człowieczek. Portrecista ma moc KREACJI. Niestety – jest zbyt słaby psychicznie, by z niej skorzystać. Cały czas jego myśli biegną bowiem ku żonie, w której jest szaleńczo i bezkrytycznie zakochany.

Bardzo duży wpływ na charakter książki ma narracja wieloosobowa, która – nie ukrywajmy – była strzałem w dziesiątkę. Dzięki niej poznajemy sytuację widzianą oczyma różnych bohaterów i ich rodzin. Z rozczarowaniem muszę jednak stwierdzić, że wszystkie te punkty widzenia nie różnią się za bardzo. Owszem, postacie są odmienne pod względem charakteru, wieku, wspomnień… Niestety – wypowiadają się wszystkie w ten sam sposób i autorka zupełnie nie zadała sobie trudu, żeby zróżnicować stylistycznie ich język. Wydaje mi się to mało prawdopodobne, żeby czterdziestolatek, który ma już dorosłe dziecko i burzliwą przeszłość, używał takich samych słów i tak samo patrzył na świat, co młody mężczyzna, który za chwilę zostanie ojcem.

Na minus należałoby również policzyć powieści wątki „genetyczno-romantyczno-związkowe”. Zawirowania rodem z „Mody na sukces” zupełnie nie pasują mi do treści książki. Można było przemycić jedno, góra dwa. Każdy wie, że „tym u władzy” wybacza się więcej i plotkuje się o nich ciszej. Ale nie róbmy z tego taniego melodramatu, błagam.

Tak czy siak, apeluję do wszystkich książkoholików, żeby nie spoglądali z wyższością i pogardą na przecenione książki, leżące nieszczęśliwie na paletach. „Krew władzy” znalazłam w jednym z większych hipermarketów i zapłaciłam za nią niecałe sześć nowych polskich złotych. Dajcie takim książkom szansę. Być może nigdy nie zmieniły i nie zmienią świata literatury. Co z tego. Mogą zmienić Wasz. I pamiętajcie - nie trzeba być władcą, żeby mieć władzę. Najskuteczniej rządzą nami ci, za których oddalibyśmy życie. Albo jeszcze więcej.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Blood Kin (2007) is the hugely impressive debut novel of Sydney author Ceridwen Dovey, whose fiction I discovered when I recently read and reviewed In the Garden of the Fugitives (2018). And it's not just me who's impressed: Blood Kin was published in 15 countries, and shortlisted for the 2007 Dylan Thomas Prize. Dovey was also selected for the 2009 US National Book Foundation's '5 under 35' honours list, and the Wall Street Journal named her as one of their ‘artists to watch.’ I see also from Dovey's website that Blood Kin has been adapted for stage in Germany and I'm not surprised. It would make an excellent film too.

Set in an unnamed country which hints at Latin America, Blood Kin is about power, and how even a small taste of it arouses the worst human instincts. The book (an economical 185 pages) is in three parts, narrated in first person by six unnamed characters:

Part I: the three men taken into custody after a coup: the President's portraitist; the President's barber; and the President's chef;
Part II: three women connected with the three men (in ways more than they know): the barber's brother's fiancée; the chef's daughter; and the portraitist's wife;
Part III: the aftermath: the barber; the portraitist and finally the chef.

The three men take to their detention in different ways, depending on the power they can wield. The new Commander shows his power by treating them well: he has plans for them all. So, surprisingly, they share the luxury of the guestrooms of the President's Summer Residence, and though the food is rudimentary they are fed twice daily.

But the terror of the coup is obvious: the sous-chef was shot because he tried to escape. The chef, however, adapts quickly to cooking gourmet delicacies for the Commander who has taken over. Even in this situation the chef has power: of course they can search him for dangerous implements and they can supervise his cooking, but just as he knows how to prevent food poisoning he knows how to cause it too, undetected...

The barber has reason to support the coup because his brother was shot under the President's regime. He had, in fact, inveigled his way into the President's employ to avenge his brother. Barbers, after all, with their scissors and razors, have every man they serve temporarily in their power... but this one creates trust by insinuating a little sensuality into what is an intimate procedure. He wanted to lull the President into a false sense of security but each day he could not find the will to slit his throat.

Both the chef and the barber can only exercise their power at some risk to themselves.

To read the rest of my review please visit https://anzlitlovers.com/2019/09/29/b...

[Kate · Rating 2 out of 5]

This novel was a good idea with a plodding, heavy execution. I couldn't bring myself to care about any of the characters, except for those who were dead before the novel begins. The prose is unnatural and effected in a heavily work-shopped kind of way.

However, the content and conflict of the novel were interesting. I feel like lately I'm reading the same plots over and over again in novels that are all set in New York, and immersing myself in Dovey's modern, technologically sophisticated distopia was new and interesting; it put me in mind of California, if CA were to become its own country, run by an absolute dictator.

I don't recommend this novel, but I think that Dovey's prose might become less stilted with age and she's creative and so I would probably read another of her novels.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's hard to imagine a book about a political coup being sensual, exotic, beautiful and terrifying at the same time, but that is just what this book is. It follows three prisoners of a coup d'état, the former President's portraitist, his chef and his barber. Each character, both near and far to the center of power will draw the reader into his most personal details, his hopes and dreams, his past and present to create a complex web of what seems at first a harmless existence only to reveal in the end the true nature of power.

It's unique and well written.

[Vichta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Władza korumpuje. Władza totalna korumpuje totalnie. Do czego zdolny jest człowiek, któremu wolno wszystko i który za nic nie odpowiada?

Portrecista, Fryzjer i Kuchmistrz. A także Żona Portrecisty, Narzeczona Brata Fryzjera i Córka Kuchmistrza. Trzy osoby z obsługi Prezydenta i trzy najbliższe im kobiety.

Pewnego dnia mężczyźni zostają aresztowani i wywiezieni do jego letniej rezydencji. Prezydent też tam jest, ale już nie w roli gospodarza, tylko więźnia. Nowym przywódcą został Komendant. A Prezydent musi odpowiedzieć za zbrodnie, które popełnił. Pomalutku z kolejnych narracji wyłania się obraz wzajemnych powiązań i zależności między osobistościami należącymi do jego dworu. Intrygi, nepotyzm, podejrzliwość, chciwość, ambicja, egoizm, cynizm, zdrada, zawiść, okrucieństwo, tyrania, pogarda i wszystko co łączy się z władzą absolutną.

Nowy przywódca objął władzę po to, by z tym wszystkim skończyć i rozliczyć winnych. Ale czy rzeczywiście taki jest jego zamiar? Przecież teraz to właśnie on ma władzę absolutną...

Zakończenie zaskakujące. A może nie...?

Choć nie znamy imion bohaterów ani nazwy kraju, w którym rozgrywa się akcja powieści, to znajdziemy wiele podobieństw do afrykańskich bantustanów, gdzie częste zamachy i pucze rujnują gospodarkę i wywracają życie mieszkańców do góry nogami, a każdy kolejny rząd łapczywie rzuca się na wszystko, czym da się wypchać własne kieszeni.

Tłumaczenie zachwyca pięknem języka.

[Lorena Goga · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Dar, după ce-mi cunoscusem soția, lumea mea păru să se micșoreze într-un fel minunat, așa că nu-mi mai trebuia nimic altceva decât s-o vad cufundată în cadă, cu linia trupului refractată de apă, ori s-o urmăresc cum ia de pe plită dintr-o arcuire grațioasă un ceainic șuierător, ca să fiu delirant de fericit. E genul de femeie de care nu te poți sătura niciodată, fiindcă e secretoasă si are o viață interioară alertă, care e opacă pentru mine. S-o urmăresc concentrându-se la altceva- o carte, făcutul unei valize, cum își leagă șireturile- însemna să mă minunez până peste poate. "

[Jennifer Sulc · Rating 3 out of 5]

I expected more from this book based on the glowing reviews on the cover and the prose in the first few chapters. Dovey's conceit is clever - three presidential employees are imprisoned together following a coup - and the use of multiple first-person narrators helps to create suspense. More tangential characters are introduced to flesh out the story, yet paradoxically their stories lack sufficient detail to make them plausible. As the story moves away from exposition to action, more straightforward explanation would be welcome. Dovey displays insight into the human psyche when she probes characters' emotions and explores their weaknesses. Here again I'd like to see more. The novel is certainly thought-provoking in spite of a few missteps.

[Trish · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating fiction presented by several people whose lives intertwine before, during, and after a coup in a unnamed country. All the characters exhibit degrees of a stern practicality and ruthless opportunism that seems appropriate to the politicized circumstances in which they find themselves. The fact that we are hearing each person's voice and these things are not known by the others, makes us somewhat complicit, or voyeuristic. We are not suprised, perhaps, at the violence that erupts. Very controlled, richly imagined debut from a writer to watch.

[Andi M. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hmm, a bit of a disappointment. I love the concept of this book: three employees of the President of a recently overthrown regime. The cook, barber, and portraitist tell their stories, and then we get additional information from the women in their lives. Fell flat at the end for me. No big "ah hah!" moments.

[Meredith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting concept, but altogether nothing groundbreaking. The endings, which should have seemed shocking or at least moving, came across as predictable. The writing was a bit too blase, and thusly rendered dull what should have been tense and world changing events.

[Tania James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oof, this book ended with three swift punches to the gut. A beautiful, terrifying book all around and not a sentence goes to waste.

[JoAnna Studer · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is the reason I read!

[John Newman · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a quirky book told from different voices. I had high hopes and it didn't live up to them. It's a thin volume and somewhat entertaining with a couple unexpected twists but not a great read.

[Molly · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a decent read, but definitely something missing. If the synopsis of the book interests you, find a copy of Ann Patchett's Bel Canto instead. It's much better.

[Gav]

Blood Kin is a depressing novel. The story starts from the view points of a President’s barber, chef and portrait artist who are being held captive in the President’s Summer Residence after a coup in an unnamed country where the President has been has been replaced by the Commander.

None of the characters are likeable from those mentioned above to his barber’s brother’s fiancé, his chef’s daughter and his portraitist’s wife, each of whom tells a part of the story from their own point of view.

The technique of interweaving chapters from varying points of view makes for an interesting exploration of the situation, which is not as simple as it first appears. They are more than a barber, chef and portrait artist. Their lives are intertwined with the President though not in ways that you’d immediately imagine.

Because it is such a dark novel it’s hard to find any enjoyment from it. It is a not a novel read for entertainment. This is a novel of exploration. It is a novel of power and corruption and those who are attracted to it, their motivations and the lies they delude themselves with.

For all it’s bleakness it’s still worth reading as Dovey manages to build a story where each of these characters is revealed as creatures to pity as well as despise. They are in some ways victims of circumstances who seem to have no choice but to follow the path laid out for them.

Though if I do have one reservation it does seem a little too fantastical in parts especially some of the ways their lives come together. But then people of power aren’t that grounded in reality.

Overall, Dovey is an intelligent storyteller who delves a little too deep into darkness to make this entertaining though it is a thoughtful and haunting novel which makes me think of Evita without all the singing and dancing.

[Milan]

Prvo što bih voleo da kažem jeste da ovoj knjizi ne bi trebalo da se sudi po naslovnici. Jednostavno, nemam objašnjenje za ovako nešto i mislim da izbor dizajna upućuje na pogrešan trag šta se između ovih i ovakvih korica nalazi.

Knjiga „Krvna veza“ je prvenac južnoafričke autorke Seridven Dovi koji je preveden na dvadeset jezika i koji je ovenčan nizom nagrada. I sve to nije, za razliku od naslovnice, pogrešno. Knjiga je zaista sjajna.

Nakon uspešno izvedene revolucije sada bivši Predsednik zatočen je u svojoj seoskoj rezidenciji. Osim njega, tu su njegov kuvar, berberin i slikar. Priču pratimo upravo iz njihovih uglova. Svako ima neku svoju verziju, neku ličnu agendu, cilj, niko nikome ne veruje i svako (ili neko) gleda sa smesti svima ostalima. A onda glasove dobijaju i slikareva žena, berberinova ljubavnica i kuvareva ćerka. One, istina, nisu zatočene, ali su prisutne sa svojim verzijama događaja i sopstvenim ciljevima.

Ono što možemo da naslutimo jeste da je Predsednikova vladavina bila surova, bilo je tu otmica, mučenja i masovnih ubistava političkih protivnika, ali izgleda da nova revolucionarna vlast neće baš mnogo pevati o slobodi, kao što su ova deca revolucije pevala kada su bili sužnji.

Malo misterija, malo ljubavna zavrzlama, malo politička spletka… „Krvna veza“ uspeva da na malom broju strana pruži sve to sasvim lepo ukomponovano u jednu skladnu priču.

Sasvim pristojna knjižica. Ignorišite naslovnicu.

[Tessa Nadir · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Blood Kin" a aparut in 2007 si a fost recompensat cu Sunday Times Fiction Prize.
Foarte interesant, este alcatuit din 3 parti, iar in prima avem 3 voci masculine care nareaza: portretistul, bucatarul si barbierul Presedintelui. Niciunul nu are nume, nu se stie din ce tara sunt si nici in ce an se petrece actiunea. Stim doar ca cei 3 au fost rapiti impreuna cu Presedintele in urma unei lovituri de stat data de cel supranumit Comandantul. Rand pe rand, cei 3 barbati vor incepe "sa dea din casa" ca mai apoi, in partea a doua, sa avem si expunerea a 3 voci feminine: logodnica fratelui barbierului, sotia portretistului si fiica bucatarului. Iar in ultima parte domnii vor avea ultimul cuvant si vor trage concluziile.
O carte atipica, stranie si surprinzatoare despre puterea absoluta, control si ambitii.
Cei trei barbati nareaza la inceput inofensiv, blajin, chiar banal, ca mai apoi sa dea in vileag tot felul de detalii sordide, sadice, uneori respingatoare. Si toate oferite aparent fara rost, fara motiv si fara a fi cerute. Toata aceasta manevra este voita expres de autor pentru a spori antipatia fata de cei sase si pentru ca cititorul sa ajunga sa deteste personajele. Contribuie mult la clenciul cartii si la faptul ca totul capata o aura de fabula, de ireal, iar personajele devin tipizate, cu trasaturi si slabiciuni exacerbate, hiperbolizate.
Limbajul cinic, detaliile intime expuse gratuit, intercalate in contexte inofensive, descrierile mirosurilor, sunetelor toate duc spre adancirea antipatiei fata de ei, dar, foarte important, mascheaza si adevaratele lor intentii: setea de putere, tradarea.
La categoria "orori" avem toate atrocitatile posibile: raci omorati cu facaletul, ciocolata cu sange de la un deget retezat, pisici lovite, bebelusi aruncati in cap de la etaj... toate povestite cu seninatate, incat ajungi sa te intrebi... ce e in neregula cu oamenii acestia?!
Nu-mi place sa vad omul atat de dezbracat de caracter, atat de dezumanizat insa aceasta este tematica romanului si isi atinge scopul cu brio.
Repet, este o carte stranie care ori iti place ori nu. Ma tem ca nu exista cale de mijloc. Si daca o placi o faci pentru ciudatenia ei sau poate pentru ca nu o intelegi complet si asta te atrage. Altfel, nu exista nimic placut la ea.
Si ar mai fi o parte negativa, titlul, care din pacate este un imens spoiler si strica totul la final. Cel mai bine ar fi ca cititorul sa nu citeasca titlul cartii... dar asta este imposibil.

[Arnold Baruch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Luckily stumbled on this in Japan, cheaply, in a used book store. Elegant prose and detailed, evocative imagery are my top criteria, prose that reminds me slappingly of my own limitations, and Ms. Dovey's certainly fills the bill. Rushing through the first pages, I thought, well this is some Latin American man, a devotee of Borges or Marquez, then finally realized it was an Australian woman! Wow. The setting is clearly implied as some tropical-hot Latin country, a land of dictators and hot-blooded people. One problem: the characters go unnamed, identified only by their relationship to the deposed president of the country. It turns out this is a real impediment to...my memory, at least. I think the brain visualizes people by their names, and the artifice used here was for me a major distraction. Clever to a fault, and this may be why one reviewer described it as a "writing student" effort.

But I didn't care, because of the quality of the writing itself. Imaginative, deeply intelligent, and contrary to other commenters, I found her characters very real - if only they'd had names!

Toward the end, you can feel things spiraling down into tragedy, but only very gradually. In any event, an impressive work. I would be happy to read more by Ms. Dovey!

[Chelsea · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book had me hooked from page one. with the sway of the writing and the story line itself, i rather enjoyed it. flowing from one character to another this story tells of a ruling president and of the resistance. the resistance winds up kidnapping the president and becoming the new ruler. the resistance also kidnaps a few of the people who are the closest to the president. his wife, cook, hairdresser, his portraitist and the portraitist's wife. after they get to their holding location, they discover there are other people here, a whole group that helps run things for the resistance and among this group is the new ruler's wife. who is also connected to one of the hostages. they each have their own story's and each are connected to each other in ways no one could see. The end is a good one also with a twist how things can sometimes be.

[Luísa · Rating 2 out of 5]

The concept of the book is interesting but after the introduction of the three female characters points of view it became predictable and almost painful to read to the end.
What is good about this book? It shows human nature at its sordid, petty and animal best. And even though I'm a huge fan of books that depict human nature and reations I was unable to like any character, including the ones that have died previously to the plot, they lack in depth, the despair of one, the obsession of another, the quirk and strange habits of others and the worst male/female characterists of some are too overwhelming for a story that needs at least one sane character.

[Ms Warner · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened to his narrated by Humphrey Bower (an excellent audio book narrator- indeed I sought this book because he narrated it!) and Edwina Wren. I didn’t listen as intently as I should have but the premise of this book was interesting. It’s told from the different perspectives of men close to the President during a coup (his barber, his artist and his chef) and later, in the second part of the book, from the perspective of their women (daughter, wife and lover).
At times this was gruesomely intimate, focusing on the tiny but gross details of life- the stubbly hairs left in the sink after a shave, the lobster feeler used to disembowel its owner.

[Ash · Rating 3 out of 5]

(3.5)--So, this book definitely kept my interest. It was also very different from what I normally read, but I really did enjoy the author's style of writing. I also really liked the structure of the book where each chapter was a different character telling their part of the story, and the men in the story were juxtaposed with the women in their lives which definitely kept me turning the pages to find out what happened next.

[Jackg102 · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought the book started out strong with an interesting premise and different point of views. However, 100 pages in I started thinking about where the main conflict was or where it was all going. For me, it felt like the narrative threads that eventually turned into about 6 point of views for a 180 book became a bit too onerous for a cohesive whole.

[joyathehuman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Such an interesting way to tell this story. It’s both very boring and captivating. The writing is really good. When it comes to the story itself..the whole time I read it I felt like ‘why should I care about any of this’.

[Sandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

'Much more interesting to me than the puny stirrings of student revolutionaries was how to transform a thought into an image, how to paint the sky without using blue, how to get perspective wrong on purpose.'

[Rebecca · Rating 2 out of 5]

The concept of this story is what appealed most, but I struggled with the actual reality.

Told from varying perspectives I found myself dragging myself through it just to be done.

Clever, perhaps, but a book I would want to come back to.

[Larisa Jurović · Rating 3 out of 5]

interesting as a debut novel, however still felt like it was missing something. Perhaps the characters felt very one dimentional in an absurd story line (but in no way a bad one). Simply put-it was missing something but had much potential.

[ash · Rating 3 out of 5]

the first half of this book was *chef’s kiss* (no pun intended) but the second half started losing steam, and by the end i was shocked to turn the last page and realize there was nothing left. lots of unanswered questions!!!! WHAT HAPPENED TO THE PORTRAITIST?!?!