You Cannot Choose What You Remember

Paul Kearney “The Wolf in the Attic” (Solaris, 2016)

For a novel set in the 1920s, there certainly is a lot of topical material here.  Perhaps that is the tragedy.

Anna is a young Greek refugee living in Oxford, ENG with her father.  Her Mother and brother are gone now, and she spends her time with her doll, often thinking of how things were so much better then.

I suppose the detail that drew my interest was the appearance of Tolkien and Lewis as characters. I’ve spent time in Oxford & there’s that certain appeal when literature intersects with real life.

I have no complaints about Kearney’s skill as a wordsmith.  This is a beautifully written book.  

Unfortunately I had a couple of problems with it.  First, I had a hard time wanting to spend so much time with Anna.  It’s told from her POV, & I just had a hard time with that.  Second, there’s a lack of action.  I really needed something else going on in the plot.

I don’t think that it’s so much problems with the book, as my problem and my expectations.  Other readers could easily love this.