If on a Winter's Night a Traveler

 If on a Winter's Night a Traveler by Italo Calvino (trans. William Weaver), 278 pages.

This labyrinthine postmodern novel is an experience, and an experience that is difficult to describe. It follows you, the reader, as you go to a book store and pick up a copy of Italo Calvino's new book, If on a Winter's Night a Traveler, getting invested in the story only to realize that the story cuts off abruptly, and also isn't that book at all. The book continues to follow you, the reader, as he (who is still you) tries desperately to hunt down the end of the book as again and again every lead turns out to be yet another book you will never see the end to, in a twisting narrative of love, censorship, translation, and storytelling. 

It is nice sometimes to read a book that really feels like it requires all of my attention. This book is definitely a piece of art, juggling pronouns and realities with a slight-of-hand that feels fluid and puzzling, always inviting the reader (you the real reader, not the reader you) into deeper consideration of the nature of books, and perhaps also self. And if all of this is very confusing, so is the book! This is my second Italo Calvino novel, and both gave me a similar feeling to looking at a really good painting at a museum. They also both took me months to read despite being relatively short books. I would highly recommend this book, especially for anyone craving a challenge, but don't go into it expecting a fun and easy read. 

I also want to take a second to give major props to William Weaver. I cannot imagine how hard it must have been to translate a book playing with language this precisely, all in addition to mastering 10 different voices for 10 different incomplete books. Truly a staggeringly impressive work of translation.