Quartet for the End of Time (novel)
 The first edition cover | |
| Author | Johanna Skibsrud |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Published | 2014 |
| Publisher | W. W. Norton & Company |
| ISBN | 978-0-393-07373-7 |
Quartet for the End of Time is a 2014 novel by Giller Prize–winning author Johanna Skibsrud. The novel takes its name and structure from Quatuor pour la fin du temps a piece of chamber music by the French composer Olivier Messiaen.
Structure
Like the musical piece it takes its name from, the novel is divided into 7 sections and an interlude with each section told from the point of view of either Sutton, Douglas or Alden.
Plot
Sutton Kelly, a judge's daughter, is coerced into covering for her brother Alden by their father after Alden becomes involved in a communist plot to blow up the National Mall.
Reception
The novel received mixed reviews with the Toronto Star calling it a "distracted, meandering, at times opaque novel" and criticizing Skibsrud for being "prone to amateur mistakes."[1] In the New York Times Skibsrud's technique was criticized as feeling "artificial, as if the emotional consequences of her characters’ actions are being thrown out willy-nilly to see which ones stick."[2] However a critic at the Globe and Mail praised the novel calling it a "strange, deeply compassionate, and beautiful work."[3]
References
- ^ Donaldson, Emily (Oct 18, 2014). "Quartet for The End of Time by Johanna Skibsrud". Retrieved 13 November 2014.
- ^ Thompson, Andrea (Nov 7, 2014). "Johanna Skibsrud's 'Quartet for the End of Time'". Retrieved 13 November 2014.
- ^ SANYAL, APARNA (Oct 10, 2014). "Quartet for the End of Time: A strange and beautiful work". Retrieved 13 November 2014.