17 Sept 2019

The Second Sleep - by Robert Harris

I glanced at a few reviews of this book before starting. This is something that I do not usually do, as I do not want to read “spoilers”. However, the only thing that they did tell me was that this book is not what it seems. It is not a historical novel. I will say no more.
As always with this author, I enjoyed the quality of writing and attention to detail. The characters were quite strong, I felt, and the story had a continuous stream of happenings and revelations to keep me interested. There are aspects of the story that make you wonder about the world that we live in, but this is presented with a little spark of humour that works well.
Initially I was a little disappointed with the ending, though I was pleased to find it had one, as many books seem to just stop. I did something unusual: I re-read the last two chapters just to make sure I fully understood the nuances. I can confirm that a sequel is very unlikely. There is an aspect of the story where I would have liked a more definitive explanation, but I suspect that the author felt that the way it is makes it more thought provoking.

No comments: