The Lola Quartet, by Emily St. John Mandel
28/30 | Started 06.09.22 • Finished 06.15.22 | 3.5 stars
I'm a big fan of Mandel's Station Eleven, so I thought I'd give another one of hers a try. Gavin Sasaki finds himself desperate to find Anna, the ex-girlfriend of his high school days, after seeing a photo of a girl he believes is the daughter she left town to have without him.
If you tell a lie it’s easier to tell another. An abyss yawns suddenly at your feet.
Throughout the story, we encounter the members of Sasaki's high school jazz band "The Lola Quartet," whom he calls upon at various points for help in finding Anna. What he doesn't know is that Anna is wrapped up in a dangerous game of robbery and deception that will come to a head whether he likes it or not.
Unsettling to think of himself as someone else’s memory.
This story winds and twists in a way that I wasn't expecting, with plays on distance, memory, and the passing of time. While not at all like Station Eleven, I enjoyed this one.
Once you’ve slipped into the underworld, it’s difficult to come back out. Shadows slanting over everything.
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