Review of: The Illumination by Kevin Brockmeier
272 pages; Pantheon, Feb. 1, 2011.
Kevin Brockmeier’s latest novel is a work of speculative imagination, depicting a gritty modern world where pain is illuminated by life. No one can hide their hurts, physical or emotional: they glow for everyone to see.
The language is lovely and the images sometimes shocking with possibility. I confess, though, I found the theme depressing to the point of difficulty. To be fair, perhaps it’s a testament to just how powerful the story Brockmeier crafted was. Grief laid bare, the physical manifestation of stress on the body, and the unforgiving nature of fate was, at times, while some readers might find the insight gained by these to be inspiring, I found it almost too much to contemplate. Either way, though, it was a powerful novel and worth attention.
hold on... what am I holding onto? 