netherland.

i thoroughly enjoyed netherland by joseph o’neill. beautiful, moving writing, although i didn’t quite catch the comparisons it has drawn to the great gatsby. there is only one the great gatsby so i won’t hold it against o’neill that critics have been stacking up his work with f. scott fitzgerald’s :)

netherland takes place in post 9/11 new york city, narrated by a danish immigrant whose marriage has unravelled in the aftermath. he joins a cricket league to expand his social connections past his circle of fellow bankers and is exposed to an underbelly of new york previously invisible to him.

great character development, an interesting look at marriage, and a must read for new yorkers (and cricket enthusiasts, though i don’t count myself as one of those).