James Crowley

I know this Pulitzer Prize winning fictional book got nothing but rave reviews but I found it not only ok to good but structurally contrived. The book is really 4 books but only the first one is a substantial novel or novella. “Bonds” is a compelling story of an aloof but highly successful Wall St financier who married after 40 and whose young wife suffers from schizophrenia and with his continued interference with his money she eventually is basically murdered by a fame crazed psychiatrist who administers too many shock treatments. The next three sub-books are sort of contrived and confusing refutations of the first book. Wikipedia has a good explanation of this contrived arrangement. If you are looking for a short classic historical based novella I recommend reading the first book. If you’re looking for just a good traditional novel to enjoy, I would skip this one.