While Chee’s novel certainly isn’t as campy as the aforementioned director’s films, there’s a certain grandiose element to the proceedings that never loses focus of its human core. Only Pedro Almodóvar, the Spanish director known for his melodramas, brought the closest comparison. Indeed, the story is set almost exclusively in brothels, palaces, and, of course, the theatre. The novel is set during the period of France’s Second Empire-the reign of Napoleon III-and features historical figures like Turgenev and Bizet, and forces like the Paris Commune as ornamental features. Chee’s writing is reminiscent of Angela Carter’s ornate style, but lacks her decidedly satirical edge.
I couldn’t really think of another book to compare with Alexander Chee’s second novel, The Queen of the Night.
0 kommentar(er)
