Nabokov's last novel is such an twisting, intriguing maze of a text, and one that benefits so strongly from having read his entire catalog of novels, that it is a fitting coda to a distinguished career.

The conceit of the novel -- that it is the autobiography of an author whose works end up resembling, in increasingly disturbing ways, those of Vladimir Nabokov himself -- appears at first like it is the only thing that would drive the work, that without that gimmick the novel would have little substance. Yet the unspoken Nabokov's obvious presence is so limited that we allow ourselves, as readers, to be legitimately drawn into Vadim Vadimovich's world.

VV's story is surprisingly compelling, tracing a lifetime of assorted writings and loves, and as the novel progresses, and more obvious gestures are made towards Nabokov's works, the mental challenge of separating the real from the fictional (or even just determining which is which) becomes part of the fun. The long sequence regarding VV's relationship with his daughter Bel, and her inspiration for his novel A Kingdom by the Sea is exceptionally inspired.

By the end, even though the reader may need to look the text over a few times to figure out what is actually happening, the challenge of the text has been so well wrought-out that it feels less like undue frustration or a cheater's way out than it does the work of a master manipulating his readers in specific, calculated ways.

The benefits of this novel increase exponentially if you've read lots of Nabokov before this, but even without that knowledge, this is a multilayered, metaphysical novel filled with erudition, humor, and narrative tricks to savor.

"Look at the Harlequins!" by Vladimir Nabokov

Theatre of the Absurd. Yes, that is really the first expression that comes to mind when thinking back of this lovely last full novel of Vladimir Nabokov. If "Mary", his first novel was the most straight forward, then "Look at the Harlequins!" has to qualify, not as the most complex, that prize would surely have to go to either "Lolita" or more likely "Pale Fire", but as the funniest take-off of his own life. With allusions to not only his own life, and his novels, this book is richly carpeted with layering upon layering by the Master.

Superficially, it is the story of Vadim Vadimovich N., a Russian-American author with....shock...the same birth year of one Vladimir Vladimirovich Nabokov. The story of his three, or was it four wives [?], his beloved daughter Belle and various and sundry mistresses along the way. Vadim's dance with Dementia scrolls throughout the book intertwining with wives, books and travels that include a furtive return to his homeland.

I would not recommend this novel to someone that has not read any of Vladimir Nabokov's books mostly because half the enjoyment is in the knowing which facet of his own life or which novel he is paralleling, but if you've read Some, this book is a must.