Review of 'The Translation of Dr. Apelles (Vintage Contemporaries)' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
The language in this book is absolutely beautiful. Having read non-fiction by Treuer, I was surprised at how differently he writes fiction. Different form for different functions, perhaps. In any case, it was the writing that I most enjoyed - the words chosen and how they are put together.
As for the story itself . . . I tend to enjoy books that take place primarily in a character's head - it's like experiencing someone else's inner life, which isn't really possible outside of books. The interwoven story of the young Indian couple living in the treaty era was less interesting for me (but apparently the opposite was true for some other readers, so something for everyone, I suppose). In any case, after about three quarters of the book, the main story just gets very abstract and sort of folds in on itself; I'm not entirely sure how, in the …
The language in this book is absolutely beautiful. Having read non-fiction by Treuer, I was surprised at how differently he writes fiction. Different form for different functions, perhaps. In any case, it was the writing that I most enjoyed - the words chosen and how they are put together.
As for the story itself . . . I tend to enjoy books that take place primarily in a character's head - it's like experiencing someone else's inner life, which isn't really possible outside of books. The interwoven story of the young Indian couple living in the treaty era was less interesting for me (but apparently the opposite was true for some other readers, so something for everyone, I suppose). In any case, after about three quarters of the book, the main story just gets very abstract and sort of folds in on itself; I'm not entirely sure how, in the author's mind, it actually ends. But it was definitely worth reading, and it held my attention all the way through.
P.S. (2019) I just saw an overview of this book that compared it to Calvino, and something clicked. Yes! The last third of this book felt very much like If on a Winter's Night a Traveller. Very different story, but the same kind of feeling.