Customer Reviews

Anathema Rhodes: Dreams

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I've read this book twice. Reading it once only left me wanting more; so I read it again. Boy, am I glad I did. So much more of the book reveals itself the second, if not third time around. To say this work is "challenging" is an understatement. It almost requires you to invest yourself into the process. I loved that.

It did irk me a little that there was nothing "concrete" to hold on to by the time the book's end came. Then, it clicked... DREAMS. Could it be that the idea is to make the reader experience intense emotions (good and bad), then as they try to grasp hold, everything melts away? It felt to me that the more vigorously I tried to save the moment, the faster it all diffused. If I'm right, this is brilliant. Kudos. I am suggesting this book to all my friends.

So, I tried this book after hearing much about it from a few friends. I have to admit that I was skeptical at some of the claims being made about it.

The writing style was different from what I was used to, but got used to it after a couple of chapters. But, the story pulled me in from page one. I'll also admit that a couple of scenes required me to reread them. Not because they were badly written, on the contrary. But because I couldn't believe how strange and eerie they made me feel. I wanted to hold on to the feeling.

There's a lot of political commentary between the lines that work well with the story. Heavy use of metaphor common in literary fiction. Some are pretty obvious, others aren't.

Be warned, this is strange stuff. If you like reading Kafka mixed with a little Orwell, you'll love this. Why? Because you have to read between the lines. But, if you prefer a neat little story in a simple, tidy package... browse on until you come to Dan Brown and leave this alone. It will totally mess you up.

Incidentally, No one in this book is murdered. Nobody was raped by a priest. Nobody has an out-of-body experience. Seems like this book is already confounding the feeble.