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It's a pretty tough read.
That's not to say I don't like it. I'm finding the prose really impressive and I do feel a terrible sense of loss at times. However, I tend to read in public transport to and from work. People in trains are noisy beasts and in the morning I start off quite tired. This doesn't impact me as much with a gripping narrative, but it can make it difficult to focus on a book like this.
One thing I really do like in this book is the way memory is woven into the narrative: the fact that Jakob overlays the memories of another with his own; the entering of his family into his dreams; the way different characters honour or bury memories; the whole geological metaphor being used throughout; the reference to Nazi Germany's attempt to create new memories to suit its agenda. It's impressive and evocative - hence my emotional response in parts.
Prose poetry is a tough gig. It can be a hard sell for people not reading in the right atmosphere and/or at the wrong time. It quickly becomes work instead of an escape (not that all reading should necessarily be an escape). I just wish I could give it the focus it deserves.
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