Newspaper Article

A friendship traced through thick and thin

Myerson, Julie

2016

Overview

Meanwhile, too many conversations go on too long, with no particular emotional content or outcome. New characters, who later turn out to be insignificant, are described in what feels like a fuss of detail. And when people say \"well, screw him\" or \"screw you,\" it begins to seem not so much vernacular as just plain lazy. Maybe most disappointing of all, [Jane]'s blank-outs never truly earn their narrative keep. Whether seizures or premonitions, they lend the novel little forward momentum. In fact, cut these red herrings altogether, and it's possible you'd be left with a more robustly complex piece of work. I sometimes feel -- and please forgive the gross oversimplification -- that when it comes to engaging a reader, there are just two types of novels. First, there are the mysteriously deft ones that convince you from Page 1, exerting some magical force that arrests all critical powers. Then there are those that earn your attention more gradually, beating you into submission through the sheer energy, quantity and scope of their detail. However hard you try to resist, they won't let go. \"O.K.,\" you shout -- hands over ears -- \"I believe you, I really do, and I care!\" It should not be read as criticism to say that [Jean Thompson]'s new novel, \"She Poured Out Her Heart,\" falls firmly into the second category.

• Publisher: New York Times Company
• Subject: Thompson, Jean