Wow. It's a really thought provoking book. Everything is as subjective and open to interpretation as the photos that the author describes b/w chapters, but everything is also as clear as the images captured in film.

Sibling relationships are certainly a focus in this book, but so is reality and the myths we construct to make sense of our lifetimes. What is truth? How honest are we really, with ourselves and with others? How do the memories we choose to retain and re-tell change the shape of the reality we actually experienced?

Everything circles back into itself, the narrator's past weaves into her present and even influences the lives of her own children. I found this disorienting and yet so true of real life. Despite the fact that this is a novel with a distinct plot, it also has the messiness of life as we actually live it. Somehow in the neat chapters, Berg has smeared in all the shades of gray and unresolved qualities of real life.

What really amazed me about this book is how often I could feel loathing, compassion, bewilderment and recognition all at the same time while getting acquainted with Laura. I just finished reading it and I'm still spinning. There's a lot to digest in there. It's definitely a good book club pick.

I love this book. The story is gripping: a young man joins the circus after the death of his parents and falls in love with a married woman. But the framework of the story is brilliant, with the aged young man reflecting on his earlier life. Getting to know the grown (90? 93 y.o.) man as he reflects upon his past was a wonderful experience.