Thursday 2 July 2009

BOOK REVIEW

HOW TO PAINT A DEAD MAN
BY SARAH HALL

Spanning over forty years, Sarah Hall’s novel is a haunting puzzle that invites you to piece together the tangled lives’ of her four protagonists. Delving into art, humanity, loss, love and desire, Hall plays on the narrative style, illuminating each character’s life either through the medium of monologue, second person or third person, while also allowing a sense of omniscience to prevail.

The astute reader will swiftly perceive the connections as each “voice” reveals more and more, yet Hall will neither confirm nor deny your suspicions, especially towards the end, and one is left wanting confirmation, along with a sense of shock, even though redemption appears to be on the horizon.

Natalie Intern x

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