They are selling this as the lost and unfinished novel of Gabriel Garcia Marquez, one of my favourite authors and while it does reflect elements of his style, it is definitely undercooked and doesn’t quite deliver on the blurb.
Instead much feels rushed and the ending leaves gaps and feels a bit odd and forced. It is unique and could have worked well under the right circumstances, but seems a bit anti-climactic in context.
The premise is interesting – each year a woman visits an island each month for one night, takes a lover and leaves. You learn soon that she goes to visit and place flowers on her mother’s grave and that for years, nothing of significance occurred. Then suddenly there is a short cluster of years with lovers. There are a couple of issues with this. Initially, the woman’s marriage is presented well and it is uncertain in the reader’s mind why she is drawn to other men. Later, without hints, cracks are explored in the marriage. Secondly, the timeline is too short. The woman’s growing relationship with herself, through her experiences on the island, does not have time to fully develop. There were interesting possibilities here than perhaps would have been fleshed out if the novel was finished and extended beyond it’s 100m or so pages.
For fans only.
Welloflostplots 