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A review by amibunk
The Meaning Of Night by Michael Cox
4.0
There is something just delicious about a story whose ending results because of inevitability, tragedy, and fate. It feeds your mind with questions: was this character destined to do that? Did this twist lead to that twist, which lead to the finale? Could something, anything, have prevented the tragic ending?
"The Meaning of Night" is such a book. While the beginning is much too bogged down with unnecessary drama, the rest of the novel creates a tangled tale of revenge, deceit, justice, and betrayal. There is much symbolism and allusion in this book, which heightens the desperate feelings of the main character, Edward Glyver. There are also painstakingly detailed characters with many different facets to compare and contrast with other characters, particularly among the women.
However. (You knew there had to be a 'but' somewhere.)
There are a few things I wish were different or that I disagree with. First, while I'll concede that it was inevitable that the villian Phoebus Daunt would attempt to usurp Edward Glyver's position, wealth, name, and romantic interest, I do not agree with the conclusion that Edward is fated to react in the manner that he did. Too many times, Edward stated, "This set my on my path," or "My course became set because of this action." Too often Edward claims to be a victim of fate. I maintain that Edward CHOSE his path with faced with inevitable obstacles, and I believe that Edward, himself, reaches this conclusion at the end when it is too late.
Also, I wished I could have liked Edward better. This is probably my biggest complaint. He was too flawed for me to condone his revenge, and I so very much wanted to. He was no Edmund Dantes from "The Count of Monte Cristo," exacting a fitting consequence upon his enemies. However, perhaps that's the entire point to the novel, which gives me one more thing to ponder.
I also take issue with the pacing of this novel. The beginning, in particular, drags, but the entire novel could do with a small tightening of the action and a little bit of fine tuning with the editing.
Finally, I wish I had someone close by that I could discuss this complex and intriguing book with. Preferably over some nice refreshments.
"The Meaning of Night" is such a book. While the beginning is much too bogged down with unnecessary drama, the rest of the novel creates a tangled tale of revenge, deceit, justice, and betrayal. There is much symbolism and allusion in this book, which heightens the desperate feelings of the main character, Edward Glyver. There are also painstakingly detailed characters with many different facets to compare and contrast with other characters, particularly among the women.
However. (You knew there had to be a 'but' somewhere.)
There are a few things I wish were different or that I disagree with. First, while I'll concede that it was inevitable that the villian Phoebus Daunt would attempt to usurp Edward Glyver's position, wealth, name, and romantic interest, I do not agree with the conclusion that Edward is fated to react in the manner that he did. Too many times, Edward stated, "This set my on my path," or "My course became set because of this action." Too often Edward claims to be a victim of fate. I maintain that Edward CHOSE his path with faced with inevitable obstacles, and I believe that Edward, himself, reaches this conclusion at the end when it is too late.
Also, I wished I could have liked Edward better. This is probably my biggest complaint. He was too flawed for me to condone his revenge, and I so very much wanted to. He was no Edmund Dantes from "The Count of Monte Cristo," exacting a fitting consequence upon his enemies. However, perhaps that's the entire point to the novel, which gives me one more thing to ponder.
I also take issue with the pacing of this novel. The beginning, in particular, drags, but the entire novel could do with a small tightening of the action and a little bit of fine tuning with the editing.
Finally, I wish I had someone close by that I could discuss this complex and intriguing book with. Preferably over some nice refreshments.