![]() Haynes is a consummate storyteller, good at crafting a sense of setting and characters with whom we can instantly engage, and the constant shifting of viewpoint gradually became something to look forward to. But the total deconstruction of a legendary story is the point here, of course, and once I had got over my own expectations I found myself able to settle down and enjoy the ride more. Expected the myth I have read often, in different forms expected the classic tropes of a plot that follows beginning, middle, end. Part of the problem, I realised, was that I expected a story. I’m generally a fan of fragmented narration, but there didn’t seem to be very much story going on at all here. For me, it lacked the nuance of later chapters, and when followed in quick succession by three much shorter chapters told from different points of view caused concern that the story was going to be too fragmented for me to enjoy fully. The second chapter – the first, at little over a page, reads more like a preface – is dramatic, certainly, but ultimately fails to reflect what the novel will become. ![]() Having begun like this, I proceed to say that I did struggle with the novel initially. ![]()
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