Jonathan Lethem

I so wanted to love this book. It had the makings of a unique and interesting story. Sadly, it lost me with the vocabulary used and the vague and often obscure references. I have a vast vocabulary that is often perceived as supercilious, but Jonathan Lethem presented many words I was not familiar with. I found myself stopping often to look up words that were used but that I was unable to derive meaning from the surrounding context. I love words and learning new ones, but not being able to just read through the story became frustrating. In this book you have both backgammon and medical references that will make it a bit more challenging to follow if you aren't well versed in either, but where my frustration with the references came from was in how the whole story came together. I am unhappy to admit that I may not have gleaned the message that was (or was not) meant to be found due to the odd and obscure way the parts were pieced together. I frankly don't understand the transition that occurred at the ending to wrap the story up. It was just odd.
Having said all that, I did still enjoy the story that was told. I just wish it had been more clear and precise throughout the story.

Full Review: wanderinglectiophile.wordpress.com/2017/10/15/review-a-gamblers-anatomy-by-jonathan-lethem/… (more)