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The twelfth dialogue
A novel about the seductiveness of books and reading. Sonya Gore is a lover of books. The owner of a struggling second-hand bookshop, she is facing ruin when a terrible solution presents itself. Meanwhile, a series of mysterious short stories start to appear in odd places, written in the form of dialogues between historical figures such as Kafka and Hemingway, Moses and Marx. They are obviously meant for Sonya, but who is sending them, and why? Gradually, Sonya begins to see in the dialogues a key to her salvation. When the author finally reveals himself and a passionate affair develops, the wheels of disaster are set in motion. The twelfth dialogue promises a fatal end - or a new beginning.
360 pages, Paperback
First published March 31, 2000
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
May 16, 2017
I stumbled across this book in the library and expected an interesting read, the synopsis had me hooked. What followed, however, was confusion and boredom.
Confusion because I wanted to read an entertaining romance novel with an interesting plot. What I got instead was a big chunk of philosophy (which I generally don't mind but I chose a novel for a reason).
Boredom because the story moved so slowly - I am almost inclined to say: not at all - that I felt as stuck as the main character.
So what is the book all about? A woman in her 30s, owner of a second hand book shop, on the verge of bankruptcy. She's got very limited social interactions, apart from her landlord who seems to chase her overdue rent chapter after chapter. Her only delight in life: buying more books for her shop which is on the cusp of bursting but unfortunately lacks any serious customers (the current recession is to blame). Naturally, when she starts receiving anonymous letters, her world starts to shake. Not so much because each letter is a dialogue between two distinguished historical figures (that alone would brighten up anybody's joyless life), but more so because she finds herself woven into those dialogues.
According to the synopsis, the novel is to end in a love affair with the twelfth dialogue answering the Big Question (Who sends those letters?) Unfortunately, I can't say much about the ending because I never made it that far. In fact, I put the book way after the sixth chapter or so, I don't even remember. That's why:
1: The main story and the main character were depressing, lifeless and boring. The plot didn't move along, and I didn't enjoy the guessing game in which the main character lost herself: Did the tattoo artist send her the letters? Or the courier? Or ???
2: The dialogues were well-written, witty and had at times even interesting thoughts to offer. But because they were such a stark contrast to the main story, I kept asking myself: Where does this all lead to? What's the point? When do I learn something (anything, please) that brings me closer to knowing the Who and Why of the letters?
3: The writing style - Reading the book, I could almost feel how much effort it took the author to write this novel. Because it was just as much effort to read it, if not more. The sentences felt methodically put together, lifeless, joyless. And switching between the dull main story and the elaborate philosophical dialogues made it even harder for me to dive into the story. One minute you have Hegel & Co. discussing love and life, the next you are thrown back into the dire financial and emotional situation of the main character who spends yet more money she doesn't have on books her shop doesn't need.
In essence, the concept and the writing style of this novel didn't work for me, and I only rate it three stars because the dialogues lifted the game a bit. Else, it would have to be only two. In my opinion, Tom Petsinis would have fared much better if he had published his philosophical dialogues as stand-alone short stories. Because he clearly has something to say about life and its conundrums, but whatever it was: it was absolutely wasted on this novel.
Confusion because I wanted to read an entertaining romance novel with an interesting plot. What I got instead was a big chunk of philosophy (which I generally don't mind but I chose a novel for a reason).
Boredom because the story moved so slowly - I am almost inclined to say: not at all - that I felt as stuck as the main character.
So what is the book all about? A woman in her 30s, owner of a second hand book shop, on the verge of bankruptcy. She's got very limited social interactions, apart from her landlord who seems to chase her overdue rent chapter after chapter. Her only delight in life: buying more books for her shop which is on the cusp of bursting but unfortunately lacks any serious customers (the current recession is to blame). Naturally, when she starts receiving anonymous letters, her world starts to shake. Not so much because each letter is a dialogue between two distinguished historical figures (that alone would brighten up anybody's joyless life), but more so because she finds herself woven into those dialogues.
According to the synopsis, the novel is to end in a love affair with the twelfth dialogue answering the Big Question (Who sends those letters?) Unfortunately, I can't say much about the ending because I never made it that far. In fact, I put the book way after the sixth chapter or so, I don't even remember. That's why:
1: The main story and the main character were depressing, lifeless and boring. The plot didn't move along, and I didn't enjoy the guessing game in which the main character lost herself: Did the tattoo artist send her the letters? Or the courier? Or ???
2: The dialogues were well-written, witty and had at times even interesting thoughts to offer. But because they were such a stark contrast to the main story, I kept asking myself: Where does this all lead to? What's the point? When do I learn something (anything, please) that brings me closer to knowing the Who and Why of the letters?
3: The writing style - Reading the book, I could almost feel how much effort it took the author to write this novel. Because it was just as much effort to read it, if not more. The sentences felt methodically put together, lifeless, joyless. And switching between the dull main story and the elaborate philosophical dialogues made it even harder for me to dive into the story. One minute you have Hegel & Co. discussing love and life, the next you are thrown back into the dire financial and emotional situation of the main character who spends yet more money she doesn't have on books her shop doesn't need.
In essence, the concept and the writing style of this novel didn't work for me, and I only rate it three stars because the dialogues lifted the game a bit. Else, it would have to be only two. In my opinion, Tom Petsinis would have fared much better if he had published his philosophical dialogues as stand-alone short stories. Because he clearly has something to say about life and its conundrums, but whatever it was: it was absolutely wasted on this novel.
January 22, 2020
2,5/5
July 10, 2024
Δεν πήγε πουθενά
August 2, 2015
Loved the 'dialogues'. Had very little interest in the rest of the story.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews