This book still has me scratching my head days after finishing. Is the author spoofing us or did she seriously intend to rewrite her first novel and pass it off as fresh pages?
I found Tangerine intriguing, although my book group did not share my enthusiasm. A young woman moves to Morocco with her new husband. only to be basically abandoned each day when he goes off to do an unidentified job. She meets a mysterious man, a college roommate shows up unexpectedly and unwelcome, personal possessions begin to disappear and confusion ensues. There are suggestions that our pathetic protagonist might be having a breakdown, and the former roommate only exists in her head.
Switch to Palace of the Drowned - Frankie is abandoned in Venice where she encounters a younger woman claiming they have met in the past. She intimates her way into Frankie's life popping up when least expected. Frankie, and only Frankie, hears noises in an adjoining villa; she sees shadows, feels a presence that no one else does.
You see, Frankie is on a rest-cation in Venice, attempting to prevent a mental breakdown, and avoiding charges from an incident that took place in London months before. Frankie is an author with a well-received first book. Her latest was panned for being a rewrite of that first, successful novel, and the reviews sent her over the edge . Hmmmm? Seriously, at one point Frankie says, totally out of the blue (and I am paraphrasing here - "There never was a second girl." This has little connection to the context in which it was spoken and struck me a reference to the loopy lady in book #1.
At any rate, I finished the book and must say that knowing exactly where it was headed made a quick weekend read. To be honest, I never ever correctly predict the ending of mystery books or TV shows, so in that way it was oddly satisfying for me. This would be fun a book for anyone who has not read Tangerine.
I will patiently wait for Mangan to crank out Tangerine 3.0
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