Fantastic
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Just recently re-read this book, I hated knowing how it went! I thought it was brilliant, great concept, and I loved the two stories running side by side.
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sheer perfection
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An astounding read. Every sentence burns with vivid imagination. Not a wasted word, and you are gripped with a lynchian story that entertains and surprises. Half way through the plot and tone totally about turn, to an unsettling but brilliant conclusion. Sheer beauty.
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Great start - poor finish
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Having read the glowing reviews at the head of this section as I had just finished the last page of the novel I wondered whether that person had read the same novel - or had indeed read any other novels to compare it with - then the sneaky feeling the author himself had penned it crossed my mind - ah conspiracies within conspiracies! I do have to say I concur with the more negative reviews; the novel is well written but ruins a great premise by not following through. Starting off as a great twist on two genres, conspiracy thriller and detective story, the creative impetus is really squandered by a cut and paste job of another narrator/storyline in the second half. Not for me to read into the curious ending any great ideas about non-visibility of the blind character - just a perception that the writer was incapable of fulfilling satisfactorily the narrative strands he had posited. This is disappointing as Thomson has great writing skills, which isn't matched (in this novel, I'd be curious to see how his others pan out) by an ability to plot. It's as if he tired of the story and wanted it to end.
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A story wasted
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I use the following analogy for this book. Rupert Thomson had a fantastic dream - the story of a blind man that can see (or can he?) and his experiences adapting to his new life. However he awoke before the natural conclusion of his dream, but undeterred, he wrote down what he dreamt but was left with an unfinished novel. The next night, he fell asleep and this time had a nightmare, where incest, child and wife abuse and ultimately murder featured. Again he woke up before the real ending but wrote it down and had the brain wave to tie it in with his first dream. Unfortunately, it just didn't work. The linkages are tenuous at best; the ending is slapdash and unsatisfying and has put me off any of his other books for good. If you value your sanity, avoid this book - the second half certainly isn't the type of story that you want to read on your 7am commute to work. It is a pity because the first half is a truly amazing read.
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It's alright but...
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I've read the other blinding reviews here and I found this book an easy enough read, probably good for a holiday. It isn't particularly deep and the ending was predictable from a fair way back. The book never held my interest for very long; an interesting premise at the start which was explored to death and never really resolved. The ending was weak, with a final 'realisation' by the narrator completely out of context with the rest of the book. In summary, an easy read requiring little thought.
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