The story of a man growing younger rather than older, Greer's novel is both heartbreaking and kind of boring. The novel centers on Max as he struggles to accept his strange aging situation when, all the while, he longs for the love and desire of Alice. As he ages, Max has 3 chances to be in Alice's life, though each opportunity is brief and rife with roadblocks. It was an ok read...or maybe I'm just having an off week. Plus, I'm pretty sure there's some movie with Brad Pitt coming out that's basically a rip off of the book.
For some reason, I felt like it took me forever to finish this one, which is strange because it was a rather cute little story. Truly is a heroine of enormous proportions - she was born big (which ultimately kills her mother and turns her father into an alcoholic) and continues to just grow and grow throughout her life in upstate New York. All of this is compounded by the fact that her older sister, Serena Jane, is beloved by the rest of the town for being little, dainty, beautiful and perfect. Despite all of these hardships, Truly remains a kind figure, if something of an outcast. However, after her sister's untimely demise, Truly must move in to take care of Serena's nefarious husband and child. And this is where things start to get a little...crazy. There's lots more to this story than I'm describing - betrayal, murder, mysticism and true love. The pacing is quick and Baker does a nice job of characterization. Overall, a good read.
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