Fabian's Reviews > Asymmetry

The new global literature--of which many unsuspecting contemporary novels are part of--dictates that the more connections you make between time/place & a wholly different time/place, the less you know about everything. The more you know=the less you know. Because, really, what could be as disparate as the fates of two men, one Western the other from the East? Especially after the atrocious September 11th attacks (American literature can now be divided by pre- and post-911)--the color of your skin, your relationships and the way you traverse the world, your station in life, all of these became absolutely relevant. These details became titanic once you got on a plane; these little "details" came to a brusque forefront suddenly--your eyes burning as a result.

The secret to "Asymmetry" is the personality of the writer herself--her foibles, "poetics." This is fascinating! How could this woman write so sternly, so confidently, about two very different grown men. \One facing mortality; the other non-entity. & this is her Debut! "Asymmetry" is the literary equivalent of Babel.