3.5/5 stars

You have to take this book for what it is. It’s hideously dark in light tones. Hilst rivals, or perhaps surpasses, Anaïs Nin in her treatment of the taboo; sodomy, cannibalism. Incest, a predominant topic of this book, especially the epistolary section, is not shied away from. The biting, witty jabs of a jealous brother writing his sister erotically can only be written in such a way: Hilst achieves this.

There is something to be said for the strength of Karl’s epistolary section as opposed to Tiu’s writings: I wished that the letters had taken up more of the book.

Thank you NetGalley and Pushkin Press Classics for the ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC.

Unfortunately I was unable to finish this. This wasn’t for me in the slightest, I didn’t like the writing and couldn’t really get passed the first few pages.