This novel connects two distinct eras through a dual-narrative structure that can be read in either order. One section follows Francesco del Cossa, a fifteenth-century Renaissance painter in Ferrara, as his spirit watches the modern world and reflects on the labor of fresco painting, gender concealment, and the creation of art under patronage. The other section focuses on George, a teenage girl in contemporary England grieving her mother’s sudden death. George navigates her loss by remembering a trip to see Francesco’s frescoes and analyzing the technical details of the artist’s work.
Readers of experimental fiction and art history will find a study of how the past and present overlap. The book appeals to those interested in the mechanics of perspective and the fluidity of identity. By the end, the reader understands how visual art functions as a bridge across centuries, allowing personal grief and historical craft to inform one another. It provides a specific look at the permanence of artistic influence and the ways individuals interpret physical images to make sense of private experiences.
Deep, open-ended and thought-provoking; a moderate read.
Best for readers like The Literary Connoisseur. Which reader are you?
- Published
- 2014
- Language
- EN
