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A novella consisting of a dramatic inner monologue full of regret & longing, vacillating between hope & despair, as George Ticknor heads to a party hosted by his more successful longtime friend, William Prescott, in mid-19th century Boston. The unique voice of the unlikable George, slipping between 1st- & 2nd-person, is so very human in his awkwardness, resentments & self-recriminations that I was won over. #CanLit

Exhausted and near tears, I went to the mirror. I often go to the mirror when crying, to see how I might look. I wonder whether I‘d have any sympathy for a man such as myself. Sometimes I feel I would, and it makes me cry even harder; other times I do not and it fills me with despair—well, then I weep more pitifully than before. In these ways I find I am able to enjoy myself.

I read two books by Canadian author Sheila Heti last week. The picture book A Garden of Creatures has more in common with Heti‘s most recent adult novel, Pure Colour, than with Ticknor, which was published in 2005. My review of Pure Colour is here: Lindy's post on Litsy https://litsy.com/p/ZGRtMUV1eFlj