The Logogryph by Thomas Wharton

[sirinrob]

Received my copy of this today; it was worth the wait. As a book it is short, but its length belies its intricacy. The book opens with a straight forward narrative about a boy who becomes friends with a family. All runs smoothly till a tragedy alters the family's life and the boy's. As a result of the tradegy he receives a suitcase of books which have a major impact on the boy's life. The rest of the book consists of short stories and text fragments, which obscure for a time the main story arc, but also support it

 

 

The author does complete the main story arc, but to understand the ending you have to read the book . The exercise is rewarding. I found that the boundary between the author and the reader became blurred, the further into the book I got. Also the difference between fact and fiction became fuzzy also. It stems from how the author has structured and written the text.

 

Each section looks at first glance unrelated to the rest, but I found that by just reading links became apparant and also allusions to other books revealed themselves.

 

If you love books, reading and writing then this is a must read. I would suggest for those who take this up and read it, the first read is just that. Trying to spot the links and allusions will frustrate, just let the book take you where your imagination wants to

 

I'm going to put this aside for a few days , then re-read and savour it.

[Readwine]

From your comments and some other reviews I've read, this book sounds really interesting. Thanks for the tip off

[sirinrob]

Glad I was of service. One problem you may find is getting hold of a copy as it is out of print. However with judicious searching bargains can be found