After a confusing tale of a woman with dementia and some humorous anecdotes about Sark -- the channel island you probably have never heard of -- John C. Wright launches us into a tale as old as time: Young man is convinced to break into a vast English Manor House by a young woman with pretty eyes. Oh, what we men will do for a woman with pretty eyes.
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The tale that follows is winding, confusing, riddled with metaphor, seduction, and literary references. This is unquestionably a book for people who like to think. The philosophical musings are the meat of the story and I found myself frequently needing to pause and take them in before I could proceed. For me, that made this a fascinating book. I love interesting ideas and this book is chock full of them! I’m still wrestling to make sense of some of it, to decide how I feel. In other cases, some of Wright's concepts felt like over simplifications to me. That said, I enjoyed the ride a lot.
Central to the story is the idea that memory is inaccurate -- hence the woman with dementia -- and a mechanism where certain circumstances awaken or unlock part of what the characters have lost and/or forgotten. Those moments of realization change them, but are fleeting. I won’t give any spoilers but I will say as more of the memories get unlocked and the complexities of the curse really take shape, Wright creates a fascinating conundrum for his heroes to wrestle with. If you are a classical literature aficionado and you like philosophy and grand ideas, I think you’ll like this book. If you want a story that is clear, tight, and runs on rails, you probably want to give this one a pass.
There is also a lot of sensuality in this book. Laurel is often in various states of undress and her relationship with Hal and Manfred has a strong sexual edge. The author was cautious not to make this too titillating, in my opinion, but it’s definitely on the borderline. If spicy romance is an area where you struggle, this book might be one to avoid.
Those caveats aside, this is almost certainly a book I will read again. There's simply too much to take it all in at once -- at least for me. Wright is clearly brilliant and I look forward to delving into more of his books in the future.