PIRANESI'S FIGURES

[Hannah Calder's] text ... is a compelling and dreamlike tone poem of a book, illuminated by lyricism and deep human wisdom. The fact that she weaves this sumptuous dream garment out of the materials of dirty jokes and widely variegated scraps of cultural reference makes her achievement all the more impressive. (...) Calder is as interested in formal narrative experimentation as she is in the simple biomechanics and political economy of desire. Her characters are often self-conscious about being trapped inside a book, and fuss with each other and the author about the proper staging of scenes or the introduction of new characters. (...) While some will ?nd Calder's experiments in narration a challenge, this is a book that rewards slow, careful examination. (...) This is a book that is governed by the logic of dreams and the chaotic, fractal order of postmodern reality, but it is saved from incoherence and simply fashionable experimentation by the author's disciplined prose and feel for the truly dramatic. This is a book that demands its reader think and feel strenuously; if you give it the energy it deserves, it will deliver a complex and satisfying reading experience.