The Emperor's Children
By: Claire Messud
I will start off with a phrase that will sound really peculiar out of context. This book reminds me of Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones. When that movie came out, my immediate circle of friends were all raving about how great it was, and how well it set the scene for what was to come. Well, Episode III came, disappointing us all, and suddenly, Episode II fell from grace.
And so, with Claire Messud’s book, I read chapter after chapter captivated, waiting for the big moment…only to have the big moment appear and disappear with few pages truly dedicated to the event.
A book set in early 2001, New York City, I became intrigued once I realized that before the tale ended, the towers would fall. The complaints I had were easy to push away. How many of the character’s beliefs express those of the author, I only wish I knew. As the characters gushed about Tolstoy, I felt a bit talked down to, for never attempting to get through War and Peace. Even Marina, one of the few characters I wound up identifying with, is mocked for loving Anna Karenina as opposed to something with more depth. When the characters discuss the merits of Atheism, I wonder if the author is mocking me for the faith that I do have.
Despite those complaints though, the first half of the book flows beautifuly, setting the stage for what I only hoped would be fantastic fallout. A magazine is set to launch in mid September. A wedding takes place Labor Day weekend. Characters move around the city, changing residence and employment, causing me to wonder where they’d all be located for the fatal day.
And then…September hit. And then…
I was left with unresolved issues and plot points. Then we moved onto November and got what the characters claimed was closure. The details that in the first half of the book were so compellingly explained now were glossed over.
I find it telling that the only point in the book that I shed tears was early on, when the character of Marina finds her childhood cat dead and loses herself in thoughts and memories of the animal.
Wonderful first half of the book, but I have to wonder if upon rereading if it would hold well, knowing that the plot loses its focus come September 11, 2001.
And so, with Claire Messud’s book, I read chapter after chapter captivated, waiting for the big moment…only to have the big moment appear and disappear with few pages truly dedicated to the event.
A book set in early 2001, New York City, I became intrigued once I realized that before the tale ended, the towers would fall. The complaints I had were easy to push away. How many of the character’s beliefs express those of the author, I only wish I knew. As the characters gushed about Tolstoy, I felt a bit talked down to, for never attempting to get through War and Peace. Even Marina, one of the few characters I wound up identifying with, is mocked for loving Anna Karenina as opposed to something with more depth. When the characters discuss the merits of Atheism, I wonder if the author is mocking me for the faith that I do have.
Despite those complaints though, the first half of the book flows beautifuly, setting the stage for what I only hoped would be fantastic fallout. A magazine is set to launch in mid September. A wedding takes place Labor Day weekend. Characters move around the city, changing residence and employment, causing me to wonder where they’d all be located for the fatal day.
And then…September hit. And then…
I was left with unresolved issues and plot points. Then we moved onto November and got what the characters claimed was closure. The details that in the first half of the book were so compellingly explained now were glossed over.
I find it telling that the only point in the book that I shed tears was early on, when the character of Marina finds her childhood cat dead and loses herself in thoughts and memories of the animal.
Wonderful first half of the book, but I have to wonder if upon rereading if it would hold well, knowing that the plot loses its focus come September 11, 2001.
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