Siri Hustvedt has two acclaimed novels under her belt - The Blindfold and The Enchantment of Lily Dahl. In What I Loved, her narrative powers have reached new heights as she convincingly details the pains and joys, the sexual and emotional life of an artist over thirty years. Beginning with a leisurely pace during which we get to know the characters intimately, Hustvedt changes narrative gears, turning her story into an urban thriller, complete with violence, duplicity, murder and erotica. It is also about the creative impulse, love, friendship, loss and endurance, memory and truth. Her handling of Bill's artistic oeuvre is masterful, as is her re-creation of the New York art scene. Deeply intelligent, this wonderful novel is not only tightly plotted but brims over with ideas and emotion. A novel to be relished.
