52 Books in 52 Weeks, it's called. The challenge is simple: read a book every week for a year.
29. The brothers K.
Such a stew: an Ideas novel, an Issues novel, a bildungsroman, a War novel, a Sports novel, a Saga. But above all, an incredibly skillful big, bad, character novel. Duncan creates such a rich leading cast, and an equally rich (if slightly less fully realized) supporting cast, you can’t help but fall in love with the whole overblown mess. He is absolutely unafraid to put his leading men and women through their paces and report faithfully on every single thing they do in response. And his relentless probing into the means and meaning of grace — truthfully, as a human and not an ideologue — lead me to believe that this novel will resonate long after the specific plot points fade from memory. I get the feeling this is why so many people love this one. If I had a complaint it would be that everyone speaks in essay form, “from the heart” as it were, but that may simply be the author’s prerogative; also, there’s a little too much “bold tragedy:” cancer, rape, electroshock therapy. But surely I can have mercy. A rewarding read.
