great house by nicole krauss.

by the way i’ve been guarding my canvas bag for the last week, one would think that i was carting around a golden ticket. close enough, i have had an advance copy of great house by nicole krauss in my possession.

as a writer, it was humbling. as a reader, it was engrossing. much darker and intenser than her previous work, great house touches on several characters coming to terms with their mortality. krauss captures the contemplation of the mere mortal trying to make sense of the nothingness waiting for us on the other side with a forthrightness that made my skin crawl.

the characters lives span across generations and continents, the common element being a massive desk that has at some point lived under their roofs. the characters range from a chilean poet to an american writer to a furniture collector specializing in reclaiming goods seized by nazis during world war II.

i adored the history of love. i liked man walks into a room. for me, great house is her best work yet.