An odd premise for a book that seemed to rush the introduction only to meander through the remainder. Saying something through a different medium to allow for it to be more easily digestible is a tricky one that I rarely enjoy and this didn't really turn the tables on this stance. Here the criticisms that the narrator levels at the playwright within the novel can obviously be turned on this book itself; the whole thing is somewhat meta. Based on the worthwhile twist rendered in Life of Pi I saw this one through to the end but it didn't quite redeem it. There was some resolution yet I didn't feel it was worth the build up. The Games for Gustav that appended the story were rather effective however - kudos for tackling the subject matter at least.
July/August 2012
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