I do hate being surprised at the end of a book. It’s not that I mind plot twists, but I do mind being misled. And there’s no question about it, we were misled. The story of Gatsby, Daisy, and Tom was incorporated into this book; it was great to read a book with their story as a major part of it. I enjoyed getting to know them in a new light, written into a story by someone who obviously loves that book. A central figure in this book is a talented photographer whose mental illness takes him to a homeless shelter near the end of his life. He leaves behind a treasure of photographs of the famous. The author says he was inspired by the photographs of a person named “Soupy” Campbell who died in a homeless shelter. His photographs are sprinkled throughout the book.
I’m afraid this book suffers by comparison to The Anatomy School; the prose is awkward and uninspired and the characters have purposes other than being their own wonderful selves. Still, I read with interest to the end.