Anita Shreve – Testimony
(ABC BOOK REVIEW)
The publisher was teasing reviewers to guess who the author was of this book, and honestly, I would not have guessed it, if I hadn’t been informed beforehand.
Having read several Anita Shreve novels, getting to know her style somewhat, this was a very different style indeed.
Alternating viewpoints per chapter, the novel consisted of chunks of information, not pulling you in with the help of one (or two) specific character/narrator, as in Sea Glass, All He Ever Wanted, or Where or When.
The chapters are divided over 21 characters in total, some characters tell more than others. For instance, the headmaster Mike guides us through 10 of the 58 chapters.
I prefer just one narrator, and I discovered I was definitely not pulled in as much as usual with these 21 narrators. Although we learn most from the headmaster, he never becomes a leading character, he remains a side figure, just like all the other 20 characters.
Also, this novel is much more contemporary and modern because of the setting, an Academy with its students and dorms and sports etc, and because of the Main Event (I won’t say what happens, that gives too much away). I was slightly turned off by the Event at first, a bit too explicit, but it didn’t stop me reading, and the focus shifted steadily to other lives.
The book paints the picture of the changes that take place in all these people’s lives after the Event, and how their futures are drastically altered. All the chapters together do give an interesting, general picture, and the different viewpoints definitely present the story in a very original way, but for me, getting to know one or two main characters much much more is very important for my enjoyment of a book.
Judging by the new style and the younger characters, Shreve may have decided to write more contemporary novels for a younger audience, and so maybe I am just getting old…
