Held uses fragmented, poetic prose to vividly convey themes of memory, time, and deep love amid trauma. The novel’s structure, with brief bursts of narrative, effectively mirrors the protagonist's experience at the brink of death.
The review from The Santa Barbara Independent emphasizes how Anne Michaels captures the elusive nature of strong emotions through a distinctive prose style. The novel begins with a wounded WWI soldier, John, whose fragmented memories and reflections are conveyed in short prose bursts, a technique that, while jarring, powerfully evokes his physical and mental state. The reviewer praises the book’s exploration of time’s dual role as both a divider and a connector in human relationships, noting its emotional intensity and lyrical beauty.
Quick quotes
Memory seeping,” the novelist tells us.
The story is told in tiny bursts of prose separated by asterisks.
While the effect is jarring, it’s a fitting way to convey the thinking of a badly injured man on the verge of death.