Rating: 
Summary: One of those books
Review: This is one of those books that make a reader work. The prose is compelling, the story engaging but Moran forces the reader to pay attention -- is James hallucinating? Is it fantasy or is it real? This would be a difficult book for some people to read because on one level it is about the loss of control -- of your mind and your body. I think Moran chooses his words carefully but achieves an astonishing balance -- his writing is not at all self-conscious. I will admit that I began to care about James so much that I worried about being able to finish the book -- so, I skipped ahead, read the end and then was able to go back and read the rest. If I hadn't, I doubt I would have been able to finish for the emotion. This is a wonderful book, and you should buy it.
Rating:
Summary: Haunting and Beautiful
Review: Years of reading independently, and then what was required of me as an English major have left me clinging to and re-reading just less than a handful of books. As Moran suggests, in the end, what matters are the few true connections we have made to those we love. Books function in much the same way for me; few stories remain compelling regardless of how often I return to them. This book passes the test again and again. Much like reading about the noteless, but wildly expressive world of the death, Moran's book explores the human capacity for expression on many subtle levels. James is unable to speak, but his dreams, his fantasies, his honed abilities to observe and reflect, all merge to create a character as rich, if not richer, than any imaginable speaking character. How to sum up this story? It's chilling, luminous, perspective-altering.
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