Customer Reviews

Crippled Dreams & Love And Madness

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In this omnibus collection of two novels, we are confronted by two tragic love stories that stay in the mind long after we close the book covers. The story of Karl and his love that fades for his beloved, who then punishes him for it in the most sinister way, was most gripping and chilling. But I was most haunted by the platonic love story of the cripple Alexandre and the unattainable object of his love, Marie-Anne. It really smacks of real life and moved me deeply. As I remember writing and saying before, I love the way this author reveals most of his characters' thoughts and feelings through action and dialogue rather than "telling" us too much what they're thinking. This technique of deliberate restraint lets you figure things out on your own which is something I like, and it leads to some intriguing surprises. He does this clear flowing straightforward plot-driven style very well. However, I would next like to see Rehak experiment more as a stylist and write a more complex and ambitious psychological novel this time. I'm quite curious how it would turn out frankly.