Years ago, I read and loved Marra’s A Constellation of Vital Phenomena. So I was excited to see another book of his on Netgalley and requested it straight away. And then took ages to get to, because I don’t love fat books. That said, if there’s anyone worth ignoring personal preferences and braving well over 400 pages for, it’s Marra.
The man is far from prolific, but books he does produce are masterpieces. I do not use the word lightly. This book, like ACoVP, is stunning. Luminous. It took me an inordinate (or me) time to get through in no small way because sometimes I would just pause in awe and the sheer staggering beauty of a sentence or a paragraph. The skill with which Marra can write a tragedy humorously, the casual grace with which the man can break and remake your soul while reading, it nothing short of remarkable. As a writer and a reader, I admit this was not merely a read but a lesson in how to do it. That such humorous notes can sparkle in such darkness, that such cleverness should string the narrative together while jumping all over the place, geographically and temporarily, is hugely impressive. And of course, I love books about movies, and this ode to the golden age of cinema juxtaposed against the turbulence of WWII was right up my alley. It follows a diverse, largely immigrant cast in the industry they were instrumental in building and sustaining in a time when and a place where being an immigrant was not only challenging but outright dangerous. (And you can read the news to see how tragically not far the nation has come since in attitudes and prevailing mentality.) Or don’t read it for politics, read it for the characters and their journeys. Read it for the sheer joy of learning about different times and lives. For fans of historical fiction, literature, and character driven stories, this is about as good as it gets. In fact, it is up there on par with one of my all-time favorites, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, which is about as high of a praise as I can dish out. Recommended. Recommended. Recommended. Thanks Netgalley.
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