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The Magician's Assistant by Ann Patchett. Contemporary (1997) fiction. This was a strange and at times quite morbid story, with the main character seeming to wallow in her grief. She finds comfort only when she immerses herself in her dead husband's previously hidden past. The women characters of the story are interesting and feel quite real, but the men are much less so. Even while reading it I wasn't sure I understood the point, but the narrative was compelling and I had no trouble reaching the end. But then it just stops. No sense of closure or completion; it's almost like you should be thankful it ended on a period and not a comma. And that really spoiled it for me. I stretch to 3/5 because I did really like the writing and I'm going to try some more of her books.
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