Politics
From Booklist Toward the end of this lushly ambiguous story of an unconventional love triangle, the first-person but anonymous narrator observes, "I do love Milan Kundera. I love him very much." That much is obvious, but the other love affairs in the book are considerably more murky. Nana loves Moshe, and Moshe loves Nana. Anjali also loves Nana, and so Moshe and Nana welcome her into their relationship. The plot concerns what will become of this menage a trois and why Moshe and Nana share one another with Anjali when neither of them is in love with her. To facilitate the latter story, the narrator frequently speaks directly to the reader discussing everything from architecture to predestination. It's an entertaining, if eventually tiring, concept, but Thirlwell uses it gamely to tackle big themes, such as the conflict between morality and politeness. He doesn't quite pull off these frequent Kunderaesque tangents, but the quirky narrative style does make for a wonderfully complete picture of three lives. A funny and surprisingly wise first novel. John GreenCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved