Nelly's Version

by Eva Figes

Paperback, 2002

Status

Available

Call number

823.914

Publication

Dalkey Archive Pr (2002), Edition: 1, Paperback, 218 pages

Description

In acclaimed author Eva Figes' inventive reshaping of the pop psychological thriller, her fifth novel opens as Nelly Dean, a middle-aged woman suffering from amnesia, checks into a small-town hotel with a suitcase full of cash and no idea where it - or she - came from. Distrustful of everyone from the waiter who serves her lunch to a store clerk who claims to know her from grade school, Nelly fears she is part of a conspiracy, although she is strangely indifferent to the clues that might explain her puzzling circumstances. Part dark comedy, part mystery novel, Nelly's Version offers an unsettling journey into the mind of a witty, intelligent woman stuck in a pastless present.

User reviews

LibraryThing member coolmama
The subject heading for this book said it was about Wuthering Heights.
Hence, I was incredibly confused, as this book has NOTHING to do with this subject.
That said, it was a really interesting and well written book about a women who checks into a hotel and has amnesia. She narrates the entire book;
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and it is really hard to figure out until the last page what exactly is going on.
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LibraryThing member arubabookwoman
This novel opens as a woman is checking into a country inn. She suddenly finds herself unable to remember anything, including her name. She randomly chooses a name, Nelly Dean. When she gets to her room she discovers that she has a suitcase full of cash, and no idea where it came from. She fears
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that this circumstance might place her in danger, and she senses that perhaps she is supposed to simply wait for the next development.

We follow Nelly as she wanders through the village over the next several days, unsure whether she recognizes the faces and places she encounters.

This book is not a mystery/thriller. Rather it is a psychological exploration of the mind of a disturbed woman, and we begin to wonder whether everything we read exists strictly in Nelly's mind. The book is fairly easy to read, and it is compelling, although the style verges on the edge of surrealism, which I sometimes find difficult to read.
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Language

Physical description

218 p.; 8.12 inches

ISBN

1564783138 / 9781564783134
Page: 0.2453 seconds