Thursday, October 13, 2011

Only the Shadow Knows ...

The Book of Air and Shadows
Michael Gruber
Harper Collins

A couple of weeks ago I was having a discussion with a work colleague about what makes a good read.   He and I have similar tastes in "Capital L " Literature and I totally trust his recommendations.  It also got me to thinking.  Maybe I've been watching too many Criminal Minds episodes lately, but I get the feeling that if one were to understand my preferences in books, one would be a few short steps from understanding my most inner self.   Scary thought that. 

So why the babble, you ask?  Well, on paper, The Book of Air and Shadows seems like something that I would normally inhale. I mean, it's got all the right pieces:
  • It's highly intertextual (you know now I dig books about books)
  • The narrative comprises multiple points of view.  It's not just one guy telling a story.
  • The timeline shifts between 17th century England and 21st century New York without any crazy time travelling devices or dream sequences.
  • It has gangsters and cryptology.  Really, what more could a girl want? 
Well, maybe just a little more.  Jake Mishkin, an IP lawyer based in New York, finds himself in temporary custody of a manuscript fragment that refers to a work by William Shakespeare that has never before been seen.  Aspiring film maker Albert Crosetti is in possession of an encrypted portion of that same manuscript which reveals the location of the new play.  The two eventually connect and mayhem ensues.  While this novel was just a little too smart in places for its own good, it would make a decent airplane read.  Three cramped secretary hands out of five.

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