Fiction Reviews #73 Fall 2013 ,
Novel’s sophisticated prose explores the depths of depression
Anna Quon’s sophomore novel, Low, chronicles Adrianna Song’s struggle against a low point in her life: her love interest is gone, her mother has died, and her estranged sister’s return is stirring up feelings of resentment and jealousy.
As she’s checked into a facility for mental illness, her meek father and wild friend rally for her return to good health.
Quon’s strength in Low is her fresh way of wording things. She writes with a distinct diction. For example, upon hearing bad news, Adriana feels “a downward swoop of crows” her in stomach and her thoughts “clacked against one another like dominoes.”
That said, aspects of how the story is delivered feel saccharine, which undercuts Quon’s sophisticated prose.
The novel does a great job in genuinely plumbing the depths of depression, but like any patient’s recovery, the plot can drag its feet.
Low
by Anna Quon
$19.95, paperback, 304 pp.
Invisible Publishing, June 2013
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