Negative Positive
Title: Sweet and Spare
Review: This is a sweet and sparely written novel -- Haruf doesn't waste words stating the obvious or on extraneous detail. What is is what is important, not what happened because of it or what caused it. Victoria's flat affect and lack of depth is important because of the effect it has on others and the story it brings together. She herself is neither here nor there. The dialogue between the McPheron brothers is worth the price of admission alone.This is not a book for folks who need to know exactly WHY everything is happening and how the characters are going to fare after the book ends. It is, simply, what it is and what it is is a poignant story about some hapless folks who come together as their lives come together.
Is the review positive or negative? 