A brilliant masterpiece....
Who has the right to tell a story? The person living it? The best writer/ biographer? This is one of the underlying themes in this brilliant novel about a young man who travels to Venice to write a novel. However, when he arrives in Venice to find out the job he has waiting for him is no longer available, he decides to take on another role entirely, that of a caretaker to an esteemed elderly writer. I simply can't reveal anymore without giving too much away. Suffice it to say, the writing is spectacular, you'll be in the edge of your seat from the very first word until the very last sentence; the charachter development is really thorough- the reader is simultaneously "rooting for" and despising the same characters at various stages of the book; and the plot is extremely well-thought out and the story told in an increasingly suspenseful fashion...you'll be hooked!
I would group this novel in the same category as Donna Tartt's "The Secret History," and Marisha Pessl's "Special Topics In Calamity Physics," both also masterpieces and written by authors at the top of their game. All three deal with students, murders, truth, lying, greed, egoism, sexuality and coverings ones tracks, yet in the grander scheme, all are exceptionally written and must-reads!
I HIGHLY recommend this novel and hope to read more of Mr. Wilson's works!
