Status Updates From Voici la fin

She felt hot and feverish when she wrote the letter. And directly she had posted it she regretting having done so. "I forget what I wrote," she said. "It is dangerous to post letters to Older and wiser Men when drunk." ( -- I'm happy to see that the grand tradition of drunk texting dates at least as far back as 1916)

and then she reminds you that she is writing this in 1916/17 and pulls the rug out from under your laughter - this is really excellent stuff - no wonder Woolf was so sad when she died.

Will you please imagine that continual intercourse with very talkative people had made Mr Russell an adept at vocal compression. He had now almost lost the use of his vowels, and if I wrote as he spoke, the effect would be like an advertisement for a housemaid during the shortage of wood-pulp. I spare you this.

I might as well introduce you to the Family before I settle down to the story. From careful study of the press reviews I gather that a story is considered a necessary thing in a novel, so this time I am going to try and include one.

Loving the voice of this, and the humor - there is an element of Barth/Coover play going on which is just lovely. Put a quote in my review to give you a taste...