Status Updates From In the Night Garden (The Or...

It's definitely not for everyone. It meanders, It has non-sequiturs. It's both an anthology and also a written experiment to see how many framed narratives can be fit into one. Otherwise, it's very beautiful and Valente has a magnificent ability to weave tales and generate original folklore.

This is also a book that benefits from a physical copy. The narratives are often bifurcated with gorgeous illustrations and changes in font that help you understand where you are in the stories within stories within stories. The e-reader edition I have was making this a more challenging read.

If you're into midrash you're going to love this. If you love non-sequiturs you're going to love this. If you love frame narratives you're going to love this. If you like different typology that demarcates the levels of narration you're going to love this.

But if you don't like any of those things, or even have a faint inclination of dislike for them, I think you will hate this.

I know so many people would find this book annoying, but I am in love.