Feng Huan Huan itibaren Gagluantubani, Georgia
There's a thin line between gimmick and actual cunning, and I can't think of another book that successfully thwarts the former for the latter as brilliantly and as seamlessly as this one does. Pale Fire was, admittedly, not a totally easy read. I've started it a few times before and wasn't able to get into it. This time around, though, I made a sport out of flipping back and forth between the 999-line poem that is kind of like a MacGuffin for the narrator, Charles Kinbote (or is he?!), and the commentary -- and it was completely worth all the mental and physical effort. Another reviewer made the comparison between this and Mulholland Drive, which is so apt. The aftereffects are the same: What the hell was that? When can I do that again? Also: Pale Fire is hilarious.
This man was a genius. This is a great collection to take your time over, and savor every word. There are so many of them, and they make you think in so many new ways.