Another good read by this great author. Several interesting elements in the story. Told from a woman's point of view with a life that passes through periods of history when very few women had independence and significant public roles. Boyd returns to one of his main themes or situations that he explores again and again from different points of view - conflict, war. Both the 1st, 2nd and Vietnam wars are in this book.
He also returns to the Berlin of the 30s. Not sure what he is after there, but this is a time period that seems to draw a lot of (English?) writers. I am curious about what it is that draws them in - a society at once sophisticated and polished yet rubbing elbows intimately with overt sex and violence? Have to see what else I can find on this question.
This book is also illustrated with random photos that Boyd has collected over many years. I wonder in which parts the story came first, and in which parts the photo came first?
In this book, Boyd is also exploring what aging means, how we deal with aging and the changes in our lives and selves as we age. As well as the memories.
The opening quote is:
"Quelle que soit la durée de votre séjour sur cette petite planète, et quoi qu'il vous advienne, le plus important c'est que vous puissiez - de temps en temps - sentir la caresse exquise de la vie."
Jean-Baptiste Charbonneau, Avis de passage (1957) - an author who is a character in the book
Looking at some interviews with him, it seems he has become more and more obsessed with creating fiction that could be real. I must find his biography and oeuvre of the imaginary painter Nat Tate.
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