In the Cities of Coin and Spice and In the Night Garden introduced readers to the unique and intoxicating imagination of Catherynne M. Valente. Now she weaves a lyrically erotic spell of a place where the grotesque and the beautiful reside and the passport to our most secret fantasies begins with a stranger’s kiss.…
Between life and death, dreaming and waking, at the train stop beyond the end of the world is the city of Palimpsest. To get there is a miracle, a mystery, a gift, and a curse—a voyage permitted only to those who’ve always believed there’s another world than the one that meets the eye. Those fated to make the passage are marked forever by a map of that wondrous city tattooed on their flesh after a single orgasmic night. To this kingdom of ghost trains, lion-priests, living kanji, and cream-filled canals come four travelers: Oleg, a New York locksmith; the beekeeper November; Ludovico, a binder of rare books; and a young Japanese woman named Sei. They’ve each lost something important—a wife, a lover, a sister, a direction in life—and what they will find in Palimpsest is more than they could ever imagine.
I'd been having a string of good luck with Valente's books, but I almost abandoned this one. The language is so dream-like that it didn't stick in my mind at all. Much like a dream, it quickly slipped from my memory as I went and I had to keep going back to re-read chapters to figure out who was who and what had happened to them so far. Finally right at the 40% mark things started sticking and it was easier to retain what has passed.
However, being able to remember everything didn't really improve matters. At times I felt like I could give this three stars, but overall it was not something I would recommend (unless you're that friend of mine who has opposite tastes in books than I do, check this one out!). It went on and on and never really felt like it got anywhere. The characters were all just a little too precious and - to use a word I don't, usually - twee. One buys a couch because it's the exact shade of a pecan and then sleeps on it naked for three nights to absorb the color into her skin, or somesuch nonsense.
If you're looking to try Valente, I have to point you towards [b:Radiance|18490533|Radiance|Catherynne M. Valente|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1412283972s/18490533.jpg|26174247] instead, that one was magnificent and much more coherent.
Reading updates
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Started reading
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12 April, 2016:
Finished reading
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12 April, 2016:
Reviewed