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This novel begins in Cairo in 1919 with a man named Rupert Lux. Rupert stumbles upon Maud Havelock, an Irishwoman, whose air of mystery wraps around Rupert and will not release him. Rupert has his own mystery that he carries—the way his right eyeball rolls back into his socket and remains like that for short periods of time. Eventually, the novel's geography shifts to England, where the novel focuses on young, broody Anastasia. Anastasia carries her own secrets about her true identity. Eventually, Rupert and Anastasia's paths cross, and their mysteries deepen even more in this tale that spans lives, history, geography, and more surrealistic realms that other humans cannot see, touch, or access.
Poetically written and deeply engrossing, this novel transports its audience into an imagistic realm entirely its own. The careful descriptions of place and setting uncover an adventurous time vastly different from today's modernism. What truly drives this novel is the character development, as the characters Laszio has crafted are vivid and relatable. Most of all, they are human and vulnerable, and their special gifts make them even more so. Both Rupert and Anastasia leave a deeply emotional and memorable imprint on everyone who enters this book's pages. Dreamlike and smooth, this novel is an exciting, gripping read that leaves the audience wanting more of this author's work. It is an enthralling historical thriller that bends the imagination as well as the genre's typical conventions. Booklovers looking for a new type of adventure will appreciate this novel, and they may even find a new kind of hero in Rupert Lux.
RECOMMENDED by the US Review