It only took me a couple days to read The Sweet Hereafter by Russell Banks. It reads almost like a novella. It's not terribly long, and the plot is ambient, namely, it's there with the reader in the room, casting some light, but does not exist solely to help the reader move from one place to another. I'd expect that to bother me, but it didn't, rather, I just glided along with the novel as it moved to its conclusion, gently and smoothly. It reminded me of Atwood's Life Before Man, which I read earlier this year, in its airy nature. I don't mean to imply that the novel's not a heavy read, it is, and it's far from uplifting; however, there is a sweetness there (witness the title) that shines through. The novel is a methodical, relatively intricate portrayal of a small town filled with loss.
Posted by waking slow at October 22, 2003 11:23 PM