THE BASICS
- Title: A Ladder to the Sky
- Author: John Boyne
- Genre: Contemporary Fiction
- Structure: Alternating first- and third-person linear narrative
- First Line: “From the moment I accepted the invitation, I was nervous about returning to Germany.”
Synopsis: The new novel from the beloved New York Times bestselling author of The Boy in the Striped Pajamas and The Heart’s Invisible Furies , a seductive Highsmithian psychodrama following one brilliant, ruthless man who will stop at nothing in his pursuit of fame.
Maurice Swift is handsome, charming, and hungry for success. The one thing he doesn’t have is talent – but he’s not about to let a detail like that stand in his way. After all, a would-be writer can find stories anywhere. They don’t need to be his own.
Working as a waiter in a West Berlin hotel in 1988, Maurice engineers the perfect opportunity: a chance encounter with celebrated novelist Erich Ackermann. He quickly ingratiates himself with the powerful – but desperately lonely – older man, teasing out of Erich a terrible, long-held secret about his activities during the war. Perfect material for Maurice’s first novel.
Once Maurice has had a taste of literary fame, he knows he can stop at nothing in pursuit of that high. Moving from the Amalfi Coast, where he matches wits with Gore Vidal, to Manhattan and London, Maurice hones his talent for deceit and manipulation, preying on the talented and vulnerable in his cold-blooded climb to the top. But the higher he climbs, the further he has to fall…
THE GOOD
It was around this time last year that I read The Heart’s Invisible Furies and fell head over heels for it. You can read that review here. Since then, I came to know John Boyne as a phenomenal author. Every book he writes thereafter is on my list.
Boyne has the ability to turn the mundane into beauty. He describes things in such detail that you can feel as though you’re walking alongside the characters. You can feel their emotion. You’re pulled into his stories and you live them. This book was no exception.
I thought it was interesting to experience a villain’s story through the eyes of his victims. It’s no secret that Maurice, our main character, is the antagonist in this work, especially since the synopsis describes the character as manipulative and deceitful. In a way, this novel felt like it could’ve been a collection of short stories penned by the victims, stolen by author, and re-written. In order to understand the depth of what I’m getting at, you have to start reading this book.
In order to understand the depth of what I’m getting at, you have to start reading this book. Click To TweetI love that Boyne also stuck in characters from previous works in there. It’s a true treat and cool experience if you’ve read his other novels to see a character from before mentioned. It’s mind-boggling in the way that you feel like these characters could exist in your reality, but also exist in an alternate reality that is entirely their own.
Overall, I loved this book. It’s a slow read and I believe it to be intentionally slow. It’s something to curl up with an enjoy. The way Boyne writes creates an experience that carefully unfolds into something magnificent.
THE UNFAVORABLE BITS
If you’re not in the mood for artistic quality and a slow, albeit engrossing, read, then you probably won’t enjoy this novel. This book as a dry element to it. It’s much like drinking a fine merlot: meant to be savored slowly in the right environment. This is not the book for you if you’re hoping for something more fast-paced and action-packed. As a standard, I don’t favor books where the story moves slow, but Boyne did this deliberately (and beautifully) so I don’t think it takes away from the experience at all. Rather, I think it adds to it, but I think it’s worth mentioning for those hoping for something more.
The main issue I had with this book is with a couple of the characters. I think a couple of them were too stereotyped and thoughtless. For example, Edith’s sister. I won’t give any more context so I don’t spoil the book. However, I will tell you that I thought the portrayal of this character, and a couple others, cheapened the work.
This is a pattern that I run into with Boyne’s work. I don’t know if it’s intentional or not. However, it’s frustrating to experience as a reader, especially once you into the depths of the book and already established expectations for the author’s work. Boyne is excellent at dismantling tropes so I’m always baffled when this pattern of poor character development crops up. It’s as though he needed to stick in the character for some need or another and couldn’t bother to put effort into developing them into someone feasible for the story.
CONCLUSION
I rate this book 4/5 stars. I knocked a star off because of some characters lacking development. If this had been any other author or any other novel, I might not have noticed as much. But, if you’ve been around, then you know how talented John Boyne is as an author. I believe the capability of putting more thought into those characters were there, but it just wasn’t acted upon. Otherwise, this is another great work from John Boyne. Ultimately, I say, yes, 100% pick up this book and read it.
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