Peace

Gene Wolfe's Peace is a very strange book and I'm really not sure what to make of it. I think it's a book that needs to be read more than once because there are meanings within meanings and I'm sure I've missed several layers.

Ostensibly the reminiscences of an old man, Alden Dennis Weer, the book meanders through memory, story, fairy tale and back again. Suffering from the after effects of a stroke, Weer wanders the halls of his massive house. Or maybe he's wandering the corridors of his mind. Clearly unwell, he visits a memory of a doctor for advice. He relives time spent with his aunt Vi, with colleagues and relatives, with lovers and friends. It wonderfully written and quite dense, without feeling hard work.

Death stalks Weer and in places the story is eerie. We're never quite sure if he's committed some atrocious act or if his mind is playing tricks. It all adds to the off-kilter feel of the book.

Wolfe packs the tale with subtle layers of meaning and I'm sure a reread would be rewarding.

It won't be for everyone, a lot of Wolfe's work is an acquired taste. But there's something here....something....