Thursday, January 15, 2015

2015 book 14

Kate Bernheimer's The Complete Tales of Ketzia Gold
Bernheimer--perhaps best known for her writing and editing of new fairy tales--has actually written a series of three connected novels about the Gold sisters. Ketzia is the middle sister, and is pretty much trapped in her own head (her sanity is at least a little bit in doubt), in the midst of a collapsing marriage. I really like the way Bernheimer integrates European/Jewish folktales into the story, but it's all so disjointed. I mean, it's not hard to follow, and it's a smart way to reflect Ketzia's mental state, but it's not really an /easy/ read, especially toward the end when things just become depressing. I really felt like I was drowning in Ketzia's sadness. So I recognize the strength of the writing here, but did not totally enjoy it. B.

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