The Caxton Private Lending Library & Book Depository by John Connolly
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
The Caxton Private Lending Library & Book Depository is a stunning little novella and well-deserving of the Edgar for short stories. Connolly strays from his more familiar murder-mystery genre and creates a gem evoking the wonderment of Zafon’s Shadow of the Wind with a special anglo’osity to it. There’s brilliant creativity in the mechanics and logistics of the creative imaging of this fantastical institution.
Although a predictable outcome emerges about halfway through the tale, it doesn’t take from sheer enjoyment – especially for the avid reader. At times that same aspect of readerly introspection may come a little too close to home – Connolly’s protagonist may not be how we may see ourselves. However, the profound sense of how the readerly individual creates and inhabits a somewhere imagined and real simultaneously makes explicit the reward of literary appreciation.
Highly recommended. A short but profoundly enjoyable read.