An interesting read. Passed on to djgib.

Oops, almost forgot to register this.

Yes, very interesting and hard to put down. Smith has an interesting style of a kind I've never seen before. Somehow it seems to float, but it still paints a very vivid picture. I found it very clever how she gave each of the main charcters their own very distinctive voice. The book as a whole gives food for thought on how chance happenings can affect our lives and on how people can have inner experiences that are completely hidden from those around us.

I'll see if RonOren wants to try this one.

Why not, eh? I'll get to it eventually.

What a strange book! To me, it didn't really feel like a story, but more like the setting of a scene (or rather, various scenes) before the story can take place. What I did notice was a distinct similarity to Mark Haddon's characters: Astrid is somewhat like Christopher in The Dog at Night-time, while the whole family is very reminiscent of A Spot of Bother (or The Sleeping Father, for that matter, but that's another author). Yet Ali Smith does have her own way of writing, so it didn't feel rehashed or anything.

All in all, I was disturbed by the book more than I enjoyed it. I don't think Ali Smith is my kind of author and doubt I'll feel the need to read another of her books.

WILD RELEASE NOTES:

I'll leave it outside with the second-hand bikes.