Read carefully. You are primed to do this, with the shift in perspectives, and when you notice how tense (when people say Maurice "used to be" a writer, and then you later notice discrepancies to do with tense ("i had told you") that you get to challenge WITH the speaker).

A masterpiece in plot AND execution. It grips you from the start and doesn't let you go. To be safe, set aside at least 3-5 hours for this. Even though it was a disservice to the author to binge this book, I really could not tear myself from it. I started the rice cooker for lunch and cracked the spine of The Ladder to the Sky as I slid into a hot bubble bath. The water got cold, so I added more hot water. The rice was well cooked, becoming dry. The bathwater was tepid. Two hours had passed. But I could NOT put the book down for the life of me.

I'm still learning to extract voice in multi-character narratives: once I am able to do so with a closer eye, I'd love to reread this with a more critical lens. Because I think it is so powerful when we consider the people who get to lend their voices - two (would-be) accomplished writers - BEFORE we get to Part 3. I want to look for what Maurice critiqued in other side characters' lacklustre writing, against Erich and Edith's, and against his voice in Part 3.

I thought A History of Loneliness was excellent, but this is EVEN. BETTER. I know the topic comes up a lot (Kill All Your Darlings (David Bell, 2020), The Plot (Jean Hanff Korelitz, 2021)), but THIS ONE takes the fricking cake.