When I picked up this book I wasn’t quite sure what genre it was. Possibly romance, since it talks about “love in all its forms”. Or maybe adventure, for it chronicles the happenings of Elly, a young girl born in 1968. Even after reading it, the genre still isn’t crystal clear. A bildungsroman is my best guess, and even then it doesn’t wrap up the plot in a nice uncomplicated bow. I guess you’ll just have to read it and make up your own mind.
It’s split into two halves and tells the story of Elly and her brother Joe growing up in the 1970s, and their lives as adults. They have an eccentric family who like to be around eccentric people, and therefore live quite bizarre lives, with Winman effortlessly weaving in actual historical events throughout. However, after all of the events and surprises, it does come down to a brother-sister relationship and their journey together through life. There is also an extortionate number of themes in the novel, from death to crime to dreams to fortune, and at times it seems somewhat overwhelming, but deep down there’s the constant sense of poignancy that hints that it’s worth fighting through chapters. Not that it’s particularly hard.
I have to say that I enjoyed the first half of the book more than the second. Maybe due to Elly’s innocence and endearing antics, or perhaps the actual rabbit she decides to name “God”. I laughed at many of her experiences, such as her stagefright during the nativity play, and at Arthur, a quirky old man who apparently knew when and how he was going to die! Despite the plot being almost surreal, it was surprisingly believable and I found myself enjoying it 91% of the time. Nevertheless, I’d say that although it’s not a difficult novel to get through, there are times that the characters sound more like an author creating characters rather than having dynamic personalities of their own. Had they been developed a bit more, then this book would truly be one to talk about. Recommendations are in order, but don’t expect warm, tingly feelings to last long after finishing this book.
