The Great Night. Chris Adrian (2011) - Plot & Excerpts
I loved this book it was weird and magical and exclusively for adults. I read this book about 3 years ago and can still remember the book but not because of the masturbation as some of the reviews mentioned. It was going on a journey to learn about the person you were and how decision made by you and more importantly by others impacted your life today. The magical backdrop was an added delight and the author accomplished it extremely well. My favorite book in the past six months. Hands down. Maybe not since reading Adrian's The Children's Hospital have I felt so engulfed by such an elaborately fantastical setting. This novel is a modern retelling of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, and, truthfully, I would call it a joyride if it weren't so darn sad. This novel is quite frequently heart-wrenching. But its emotional gravity speaks volumes about Adrian's ability to craft an ensemble of characters that demonstrate humanity at its loveliest, its weakest, and its most heroic. Everything about this novel is just beautiful. For a taste, I recommend Chapter 3. It was published as a separate story in the New Yorker before the book was released. As a standalone piece, it is entitled "The Little Feasts."
What do You think about The Great Night. Chris Adrian (2011)?
Although I'm finished with this book, I didn't actually finish the book. It lost me.
—smil3
Very smart, but unpleasantly prurient and self-absorbed.
—lesleykwok
