I come out of this book drained. This should have been the kind of book for me--about memory and relationships, in particular loneliness--but I had a difficult time with it, often having to push myself to finish. "It's only 300 pages," I'd tell myself.

So what are we dealing with? It's about many things and nothing--the most mundane things ever. The POVs have a strong connection with writing or the writing process but the various stories are told in a very fragmented and honestly distracting way. I'm certain I didn't pick up on some of the subtleties and the smaller connections with the POVs (beyond the desk) but I was drained going through it all. Part II, the shortest, is the conclusive part and the most satisfying. Krauss' elongated prose is eliminated and there's an economy to the pace. The talk on Jewish diaspora was some of the best writing in the book. I kind of get that, when linked with Krauss' points on diaspora, the structure's fragmented style is kind of the point but I struggled. I really did.

Honestly, when I was reading it, I could only thing about Stone Arabia, which deals with memory much better. My review unpacks it better as it's a layered and moving read, like this was trying to be but sadly failed to; I really want to like Nicole Krauss. Extra star for some really good prose in places.