The Book of Proper Names

Plectrude, the main character of this book, knows nothing about her past. She is unaware of the fact that her mother killed her father and then killed herself. She knows nothing about her mother's dreams that she “not be limited at all.”

There is something special about Plectrude, nevertheless, and all who come to know her discover this about her. She has haunted eyes and an intriguing way. Her aunt and uncle, who raise her, feel this specialness, and allow her to do things her foster siblings are not allowed to do, to experience things her siblings are not allowed to experience. It all ends, as it must, in tragedy, though not in a way the reader might expect.

The story felt very jerky to me, like playing a game of chess with character and moving the pieces suddenly across the board. The ending, though surprising, felt false and silly.