The elaborate and convoluted plot relies on Kanon's intimate knowledge of Venice as he conjures up an atmosphere of mystery and foreboding. One becomes lost in murky streets and canals together with characters who seem to be trapped in horrors of their own making, and in the city itself. Perhaps the miseries of guilt and moral dilemma are overdone and there is too much Venice, but the book is worth the benefit of the doubt.
(Kathie Somerwil Ayrton - bwl 48 November 2008 ) |
