An extraordinary read. Istavan is presented with no interior life at all - everything is physical, in the body, as he moves from isolated teenager, to war, to working for rich Londoners. You can race through its bony sentences and sparse dialogue but you'll end up thinking about the big questions way more than you expect. How far can anyone choose their life, what motivates us to act or not, can we ever really connect with others ... A brilliant presentation of a human being and quite unlike most novels.
'It's my fault,' she says.
'No, it isn't.'
'Yes, it is.'
'Why do you say that?'
While he waits for her to answer, he nearly falls asleep again.
He's not sure if she has answered or not.
She might have answered. He might have been asleep when she did. He might have fallen asleep and woken up again without even noticing.
She seems to be asleep now.
He slides his arm out from under her neck.
He feels very awake himself suddenly.
