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alobearI really wanted to like Arcadia by Iain Pears because the blurb on the back made it sound really interesting.
But it is unfortunately going to be my first DNF of 2025 after only 44 pages.
In the space of those 44 pages, we get six different viewpoint characters (one of which is randomly first person), two different tenses for no apparent reason - and very little in the way of coherent plot.
The only character whose voice is in the first person seems to be an absolutely terrible human being, so I really didn't want to spend any more time in her head.
And then, on page 44, it said:
"Alex Chang rolled over and watched in fascination as [the girl] disappeared. [...] He couldn't remember who he was, let alone where."
We're in close third person viewpoint - so inside his thoughts. So, if he can't remember who he is, how can the narrative provide us with his name???
Pernickety? Perhaps... But it was the last straw and I couldn't even make it to my usual 50-page marker before deciding whether or not to quit.
It should have been an easier decision, since it took me *four days* to read those 44 pages - and I read two whole books in the previous week...
Ah well... Lots of other people seem to love this book, so it apparently appeals to some more than it did to me.
But it is unfortunately going to be my first DNF of 2025 after only 44 pages.
In the space of those 44 pages, we get six different viewpoint characters (one of which is randomly first person), two different tenses for no apparent reason - and very little in the way of coherent plot.
The only character whose voice is in the first person seems to be an absolutely terrible human being, so I really didn't want to spend any more time in her head.
And then, on page 44, it said:
"Alex Chang rolled over and watched in fascination as [the girl] disappeared. [...] He couldn't remember who he was, let alone where."
We're in close third person viewpoint - so inside his thoughts. So, if he can't remember who he is, how can the narrative provide us with his name???
Pernickety? Perhaps... But it was the last straw and I couldn't even make it to my usual 50-page marker before deciding whether or not to quit.
It should have been an easier decision, since it took me *four days* to read those 44 pages - and I read two whole books in the previous week...
Ah well... Lots of other people seem to love this book, so it apparently appeals to some more than it did to me.
