A "last hurrah" - my last library book - before I embark on Project Read My Bookshelf. I heard about this book - published in 1984 and winner of the Booker Prize - on a Sarah's Bookshelves Live podcast about backlist gems, and this sounded like my kind of book. A woman of a certain age, though not yet 40, who writes romance novels, flees her home in England to a small hotel in Switzerland. The reasons for her swift escape are slowly revealed. Through the eyes of our lead character, we get to know the other guests staying at the hotel during this off-season, but these peripheral characters are lightly drawn with just the essence of what we need to know to understand them - to think we understand them until more is revealed. I loved this little jewel box of a novel (less than 200 pages) which reminded me of A Gentleman in Moscow but with the tone of House of Mirth. This was my first book by Anita Brookner and I would read more from her generous backlist.
As a side note, I loved the cover and was captivated by the cover image. When I looked at the photo credit, I saw it was taken by Sarah Moon and it made sense why I liked it so much. I've been a fan of her photos for decades - I still remember a photo spread in the New York Times magazine section that I kept for years. She has a distinct style, ethereally elegant and moody with a use of color that I love (though ironically, this cover image is black and white and equally arresting). It was good to be reminded of her work.
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