Review: The End of Mr. Y, Scarlett Thomas

A cursed book. A missing professor. Some nefarious men in gray suits. And a dreamworld called the Troposphere?
Ariel Manto has a fascination with nineteenth-century scientists; especially Thomas Lumas and The End of Mr. Y, a book no one alive has read. When she mysteriously uncovers a copy at a used bookstore, Ariel is launched into an adventure of science and faith, consciousness and death, space and time, and everything in between.
Seeking answers, Ariel follows in Mr. Y’s footsteps: She swallows a tincture, stares into a black dot, and is transported into the Troposphere—a wonderland where she can travel through time and space using the thoughts of others. There she begins to understand all the mysteries surrounding the book, herself, and the universe. Or is it all just a hallucination?

Scarlett Thomas has taught English Literature at the University of Kent since 2004, and has previously taught at Dartmouth Community College, South East Essex College and the University of East London. She reviews books for the Literary Review, the Independent on Sunday, and Scotland on Sunday. She has written seven novels.

I loved this book but as you see I only gave it three stars and I will explain. I picked it up during Dewey's read-a-thon and this book totally slowed me down. I felt I could not give it the attention it deserved because I tried reading trough it fast and this book is not working for that. I will pick it up again at some point just to re-read because it deserves more attention and I am sure there are many things I have not yet discovered. I loved the developments in the story and the mystery of it.
I did not really like Ariel. She had a to many sides with the lost childhood compared to the scholar adulthood. At points she was very sophisticated and than not so much. I had a hard time getting a grip on her. I must admit I liked the evil KIDS a bit and would have loved to have them around more. For sure a book I need to read again when I will give myself more time.

The End of Mr. Y
Author: Scarlett Thomas
Publisher: Canongate books
Pages: 502
Format: Paperback
ISBN-10: 1847672299
ISBN-13: 9781847672292
Canongate: eBook | Paperback

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