This book tells the story of the unlikely friendship between 32-year-old Elisabeth Demand and the 101-year-old former songwriter Daniel Gluck, who had been her neighbor as a child. The novel offers a stark portrayal of the social tension characteristic of English society after the 2016 Brexit referendum. Elizabeth grows up under the care of a mother who does not take a real interest in her. Despite her mother’s suspicions, she develops a true friendship with her elderly neighbor, which inspires the course of Elisabeth’s own study of the arts. The novel offers an interesting portrayal of the development of friendship in the midst of a society which appears as deeply alienating and unfriendly to the individual. The intentionally disjointed style of the narrative, which includes prolonged dreams of Daniel as he approaches death, makes the book a little challenging to follow. In terms of moral content, it has a some brief sexual references that reflect the state of contemporary culture.
J.T. (U.S.A., 2018)