"The Infatuations" by Javier Marias

This novel was, I have to admit, a touch disappointing. This is an author whose books and short stories I have often really enjoyed, and I did get some enjoyment out of this one too. However, I frequently found that my mind wandered and I kept wishing he would just hurry up and get to the denouement.

There are serious ideas being articulated here, but at too great a length. A novella would have been more than adequate to convey them while also developing both the plot and the characters.

The novel is original in that it is both a cleverish murder mystery story with an interesting late twist, while also being a meditation on the various ways that people respond to a sudden death. These are not always so attractive.

The idea of infatuation does, I guess, also feature in different forms, but despite the title, that is not the really main theme. The central character, Maria, is someone who observes the murder victim from a distance, before later becoming involved with members of his family and friendship group. She is unreliable in some respects and at the end we cannot be sure whether or not she has been duped.

These aspects are all well done and the writing is of course superb. It just moved a touch slowly for my liking.