Great House

Great House by Nicole Krauss
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I can sum up my experience with this book in two words: unrealistic expectations. I loved Krauss' "The History of Love" and fully expected to be enchanted again. Throw in that I expected a novel (not four short stories strung together), and you have an unfulfilling reading experience. Does Krauss still have a gift for setting haunting scenes and forcing the reader to look at issues and feelings we're afraid of? Absolutely, but it's not enough. The overall effect is sad and disturbing - no character is really lovable. They're too broken or too bizarre. The desk (yes, an inanimate object) that links all the characters is perhaps the best piece of the story because it carries so much weight, so much mysterious power....

Maybe if I had expected the short story style, this may have been a three-star book, but I sadly think you should skip and read something else...