An artful book, this novel tells the story of a relationship - the marriage of Alkiviadis ("Alkis") a veterinarian, and our narrator, a would-be writer, whose name, Louisa, we learn near the end of the book. The story is told twice; in the first version the relationship is destructive and emotionally cruel and Alkis reveals himself, on their wedding night, to be gay. In the second version there is a power shift, it is Louisa who taints the relationship with her flagrant infidelities and outright lies.

The book is strangely, or perhaps surprisingly, compelling, considering neither relationship is particularly endearing. But, as the back of the book notes, "Karapanou's devastating exploration of just what makes us want to read each {version}, just what makes each so tempting to write." There's a revelation towards the end of the book that brings the two versions together followed by a short final section where the story switches to third person. I think one of the epigrams says it best:

"People interpret an action, and each interpretation is different. Because in the telling and the retelling, people reveal not the action, but themselves" —Akira Kurosawa's Rashomom

Recommended for readers who like artful fiction; where the form of the fiction plays a certain part in the telling. ( )

Reviewed in Issue 4 of Belletrista: http://www.belletrista.com/2010/issue4/reviews_17.php