By Percival Everett
Genre Adult Fiction Literary
Format Print
Rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Synopsis
Kevin Pace is an artist. He's been working on his masterpiece. A 12 x 21 foot canvas covered in shades of blue. No one, not even his wife or children are allowed to see it. As he recalls the past events of his life, two instances stand out. Could these instances be the inspiration for his painting? And why can't he let anyone see it?
First Sentence
I will begin with dimensions.
These Tournament of Books, books make me feel so well read. ;) I'm not really because apparently Percival Everett is a somewhat famous author who has written over 20 other books and some have won awards. I, however, had never heard of him before this book.
It started off rather slow and I read about 25 pages and thought about giving up but when I picked it up again I got sucked right in. The main character, Kevin, recounts two past events in his life, an affair he had with a much younger french girl 10 years ago and a trip he took to a war torn El Salvador with his best friend in 1979 to find his best friends little brother and the events that happened there that altered his life forever. He also recounts what's happening in his life currently with a devastating secret his 16 year old daughter has asked him to keep.
The book jumps in time from these events in the past and the present and it all comes together in such a beautiful way that in the very last paragraph of the book I was staring at the book thinking, "Oh, wow". (In a good way)
While I found the main character, Kevin, infuriating, selfish and annoying at times, I also tried very hard to be patient and open minded about him. And I felt like, in the end, he redeemed his character in my eyes.
I've heard this isn't even close to Everett's best work and I might just have to give him another go. Anytime a book can leave you feeling this reverenced at its close is glorious praise for the author and his work, don't you think?
Should you read it
I think this one is most definitely worth a read.
Haha I always feel really well read too when I read something that's really potently Adult Literary Fiction :) That aside, this sounds really interesting! There aren't a lot of adult-marketed books that I think I'll be able to whip right through but I think I could with this one. The mystery of the canvas sounds really intriguing. And I have a new appreciation for the structure of time jumps after reading a LOT of past/present narratives last fall. This is definitely going on my TBR! Lovely review, Jenny!
ReplyDeleteLaura @BlueEyeBooks
I think you’d like this one.
DeleteI've never heard of Percival Everett either. But it sounds like I should give his books a try. (Then maybe I'd feel well-read, too.) :D
ReplyDeleteHa ha, right?
DeleteSometimes a book just works if you stick with it, I've had a few like that where I stuck it out and ended up really liking it. It's hard to know sometimes when to DNF and when to stick it out. :)
ReplyDeleteThat’s why I have a hard time giving up on books. You never know how they’ll end.
DeleteThis is why I hate DNFing books. Some books just end up being awesome. That's what happened with All the Truth that's in Me. But, it's hard to know. Where's that line? Maybe, you said it, though. Maybe, we have to put it down for a bit and then pick it back up and see if we get sucked in. Hmmm. This is a good discussion question. Yay! :D
ReplyDeleteI’ve thought about this predicament a lot. I never know what’s better but I’d have to say more of the books I stick with end up sucking so giving up is probably smarter but it’s still so hard.
DeleteI've not heard of this author so will have to check out his books. This one sounds interesting given the character and the premise as well.
ReplyDeleteI've not heard of this author so will have to check out his books. This one sounds interesting given the character and the premise as well.
ReplyDeleteIt’s very interesting and different from what I usually read.
DeleteSounds fun, and I love that cover. I love books that pay off when you decided to finish them.
ReplyDeleteI know. It’s so nice. Doesn’t happen very often though.
DeleteI haven't heard of this author either. I don't know why but any time there is an affair in a novel I get turned off very quickly.
ReplyDeleteMe too and I wanted to kill this character for doing it. In the end it didn’t bother me too bad but still. I get you.
DeleteI've never heard of this author, either, but then I don't tend to read a lot of literary fiction. I like cheaper thrills, apparently :) Glad this one ended up being a good read even though it started slowly. I don't always have the patience to stick with books like that.
ReplyDeleteI don’t have a lot of patience for them either but when it pays off it’s so worth it.
DeleteI've never read Percival Everett. Thanks for giving us the dish on all of these books. I wish I could read outside of my comfort zone more often.
ReplyDeleteI’m trying to get out of my comfort zone more. I find it actually helps me learn more about what I like and what I don’t.
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