Ghosts: From the Booker Prize-winning author of The Sea

Well, Banville has done it again. What has he done? Precisely? Perhaps, come to a tentative conclusion, or something similar. This is how he writes, but with many more words that I don't know. He's a well educated fellow, that's for sure. I don't know if he can do anything besides write books, but that's of no importance today...I mean, what day is it? Oh, Tuesday, I think, perhaps, I've forgotten...I must have had one of those seizures where I float off into space without knowing it...or did I just murder some hapless being, without realizing it? Or finish off the bottle my cell mate gave me? I'll no doubt see you in Hades, the netherlands, or wherever it is...surely they do aerobics there, a million times a day, wouldn't you say? Now, if I were a tour boat and my captain was half-crocked and I cared just a little about the handful of passengers, what would I do? Run aground, possibly, but close to an island where my passengers could seek asylum, at least temporarily, until we all figure out what we're doing here. Oh, am I in the first person, or was it third, or perhaps second? Are there more than three persons, or, should I say, three people? This story is somewhat confusing and American readers may find it quite boring. I mean, this fellow goes on and on about himself, his childhood, seeing this, seeing that, the golden age, Vaublin's paintings, and who knows what. You want action? You'll not find it here. What will you find? I don't know, but I found a disturbing reflection of myself in this ex-con wannabe, with his solipsistic attitude toward life, believing in no gods or a peculiar personal god, acknowledgment of his failings and weaknesses but the drive, somehow, to continue with his life even in the face of it all. Plus, when reading Banville I always get the impression that I'm reading something of cultural value, as compared to say Sandra Brown or James Patterson. Maybe it's because he's Irish. Also because he knows a lot of words in several European languages, though that doesn't mean he speaks them. I know from earlier books that he doesn't speak German or Czech. If you like going through root surgery, not because of the process but because of what you've got out of it when it's all over, then you'll like this book. Otherwise, maybe try one of those American authors who puts out a new book on his or her serial hero or heroine every six months or so.