Oxygen

As ever, Miller's writing is a constant treat for the senses, but this is my least favorite Miller book of the 4 I have read so far. The problem lies in the structure of the novel, which attempts to weave together three story lines. All this jumping around for the sake of a thematic unity is very exhausting and ultimately feels gimmicky, even in the end. Also, there is simply too much domestic backstory which never really gets off the ground. Still, 4 stars for the impeccable writing, which in and of itself makes the book worth reading.

If this novel had been set up as four short stories about loosely connected characters it might have made more sense to me. Written as a novel, the four stories intertwined but the main characters still felt disconnected from each other, despite three of them being members of the same family. Perhaps it was the incongruity of the family of three in England - two brothers and their mother with terminal cancer - and the fourth character, a Hungarian living in Paris, who is connected only loosely with one of the brothers. His story didn't intersect with theirs in any meaningful way that I could spot. Reading this was like listening to a pub bore droning on and on. You feel you may go to sleep through sheer boredom, but then he unexpectedly show more says something interesting, something coherent, and you sit up and listen for a while. I wish that had happened more often because when this book was good it was very good, but ultimately it was more concerned with being clever and profound than with entertainment. show less

I'm missing something from this book for it seems that there I should have a greater sense of fulfillment after finishing it. There are two simultaneous stories happening and one would assume that they would come together somehow, but no they both end ambiguously. I didn't feel much love for any of the characters, or interest in their problems.

I found this to be an interesting book. Lots of different sorts of people, including what I thought was a reasonable portrayal of gay men. I suppose if anything there were indeed too many of these unconventional characters and situations, in the sense that the books I like most are the ones in which I can identify myself or imagine myself placed in the situation. In this case the dying mother was perhaps the feature which allowed me a measure of identification. Anyway, even those situations which were well outside the range of my normal experience seemed to be presented well and kept my interest all the way through. It's my first Andrew Miller book, and I think I'll put his other works on my wishlist and see what they're like.

Miller effortlessly writes some of the most aesthetic descriptions I've read in a while without bogging down the narrative.

This literary novel was shortlisted for the Booker Prize, and it’s easy to see why. Four interrelated characters, each facing a personal transition, struggles to find his or her way. Through separate first-person narratives, we come to know each one and the subtle and interesting ways that they know each other and the people closest to them. Alice is facing death as her grown but rootless sons struggle to understand who is the Loser and who the Winner in the family circle. Far away in Paris, a Hungarian artist struggles to free himself from the guilt of his wartime past. Each character is beautifully and sensitively drawn, and each journey is ultimately hopeful, but best of all, these people are capable of surprising themselves, their show more loved ones and the reader. show less

A matriarch succumbs slowly to cancer, providing a focal point for a family crisis. Miller's account of disparate lives, and how we're all bound by life and tragedy, is coolly dispassionate and well-written, but I found the Hungarian section not very engaging.