Thursday, June 30, 2011

21) By Nightfall-Michael Cunningham



This was a random purchase. I had wanted to read it, but never really felt like buying it. Sadly, a bookstore was closing near me. Fortunately, there were copies of this and since the stack under my arm was already teetering, I figure it would be okay if I just stacked another one on the top. I was intrigued by the fact that it was about the New York art world. I rarely read books about the art world (however, I would like to and will take suggestions) and thought it would be quite interesting. Plus, he wrote A Home at the End of the World.

The book focused on New York art dealer Peter Harris. He's married to Rebecca who runs an art magazine, they have a daughter named Bea who for some inexplicable reason hates him and Rebecca's drug-addict brother Ethan (nicknamed Mizzy for "The Mistake") is coming to stay for an undecided amount of time. Peter and Rebecca have settled into a routine that Peter isn't sure he likes anymore. It's all the same and he wonders if his unhappiness with it shows. When Mizzy comes to stay, things seem to go topsy-turvy and Peter sort of starts to lose it. He begins to evaluate everything happening in his life and wonders how it is he can change it, if at all. Why does his daughter despise him? What is beauty? Why do I feel this way? Does Rebecca feel the same way as I do about our now stagnant lives?

I liked this book. I didn't love it, but I liked it. Despite a few of his other books getting the movie treatment, I'm not entirely sure this is one that should be made into a movie. This book was also far more erotic than I could have anticipated. Not that there's any problem with sex or sexual feelings, it was just not something I was anticipating being so detailed in this book as often as it was. Despite it being about the art world, it wasn't necessarily the focus of the story. I was looking for a bit more, but it was still nice when they talked about it.

I thought it was a good read. It just wasn't necessarily my favorite.

No comments:

Post a Comment