The Hours by Michael Cunningham

The Hours

Michael Cunningham

Beautifully crafted, beautifully descriptive - almost poetic. Written by a man with a remarkable insight into the female mind, it is well worth a second reading if only to make sure you've sifted all the layers of this fascinating book.

Extract
'You coming to bed?' he says.
'Yes,' she answers, and does not move. She might, at this moment, be nothing but a floating intelligence; not even a brain inside a skull, just a presence that perceives, as a ghost might. Yes, she thinks, this is probably how it must feel to be a ghost. It's a little like reading isn't it - that same sensation of knowing people, settings, situations, without playing any particular part beyond that of the willing observer.
'So,' Dan says after a while, 'Are you coming to bed?'
'Yes,' she says.

From far away she can hear a dog barking ....

Parallels
  • Possession by A S Byatt
  • The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood
  • The Hours - the film