Her Fearful Symmetry review

[alobear]

After my experience of reading The Time Traveler's Wife (one of the most beautifully written books I've ever read, but with one of the most horrific endings), I was a bit apprehensive about starting Audrey Niffenegger's other novel, Her Fearful Symmetry.

To begin with, I was a bit disappointed, as the beauty of her prose just wasn't the same, but the story and the characters quickly drew me in until I didn't want to stop reading.  Doom began to build, but I didn't care.  I figured out bits of one of the twists before it was revealed, but not all of it, and when the punch came I wasn't prepared at all.  But then the story carried on longer than I'd expected and ventured just a bit too far into flight of fancy before ending on a rather abrupt and unclear note that left me somewhat confused and disappointed in one of the characters.

It's an odd mix of mundane and supernatural, and my favourite aspect was the almost entirely unconnected subplot of a man with severe OCD trying to build up the courage to follow his wife to Amsterdam after she leaves him.

Overall, wonderfully involving but a little too patchwork in terms of theme and genre to really hang together properly.

Comments

Her fearful symmetry

[(Anonymous)]

My responses to the book were very similar. It certainly captures the interst of the reader because I don't usually have the patience for such a book and yet I continued to read it right through to its conclusion. It is unusual in its themes and content. I too found the ending unclear and would be pleased to discuss it with you.