The cover of Mr. Peanut and the reviews chosen for excerpting promise meta-fictional hijinks and post-modern twists and turns. The book certainly has those, but the strongest sections are the more traditional narrative ones. The main theme is the difficulties of marriage: how spouses are often at a loss to understand what the other spouse needs, and how it's impossible to understand the dynamics of a relationship from the outside. The main plot is a detective story about whether David Pepin murdered his wife Alice (by means of her peanut allergy), and several characters fluctuate between wanting to resolve their marital difficulties through murder or through reconciliation.
The modern trappings of Mr. Peanut are not as compelling as they could be, but the book has more human feeling than such fictional exercises usually do. I look forward to checking out Adam Ross' next book.
The modern trappings of Mr. Peanut are not as compelling as they could be, but the book has more human feeling than such fictional exercises usually do. I look forward to checking out Adam Ross' next book.
No comments:
Post a Comment