Read All The Things! Reviews

I'm trying so hard to enjoy literary fiction. I really am. I just don't understand most of it, including this book.

I understood so little of this book that I'm not even sure how to summarize it. I don't really know what the book is about. I understood the story, but I'm not sure what I was supposed to get out of reading it. It is the story of Natalia, a young doctor who lives in a war-torn Balkan country (that is never named for some reason). After her grandfather dies in an obscure village far from his home, she finds comfort in the stories that he told her as a child.

First, the writing is beautiful. The author is extremely talented. The descriptions are vivid and interesting. The three stars are for the writing, and I wish that I could give this book more. The reader gets a good sense of what life is like in this Balkan country, but I didn't feel any connection to the characters.

Like a lot of literary fiction, the plot is pretty much nonexistent. It's slow and meandering and doesn't feel like it's going anywhere. The writing is very dense and description-heavy. There isn't much action or dialogue. I had a hard time staying interested in this book.