Title: Asymmetry
Author: Lisa Halliday
First published February 6, 2018
277 pages, Hardcover
ISBN: 9781501166761 (ISBN10: 150116676X)
Rating: 3.44
Overview
Lisa Halliday’s debut novel, Asymmetry, is a thought-provoking and unforgettable exploration of the complexities of human relationships. Divided into three distinct and captivating sections, this novel delves into the imbalances that often define our interactions with others: age, power, talent, wealth, fame, geography, and justice.
The first section, Folly, tells the story of Alice, a young American editor, and her unexpected romance with the much older and famous writer Ezra Blazer. Their tender and exquisite love story unfolds against the backdrop of the Iraq War and serves as an aspiring novelist’s coming-of-age tale.
The second section, by contrast, is narrated by Amar, an Iraqi-American man traveling to Kurdistan to visit his brother. However, he is detained by immigration officers and spends the last weekend of 2008 in a holding room in Heathrow.
Amar’s story provides a striking contrast to Alice and Ezra’s, highlighting the injustices many immigrants face in today’s world.
As these two seemingly disparate stories unfold, their perspectives begin to interact and overlap, revealing new implications for their relationship in an unexpected coda. Lisa Halliday’s Asymmetry is an urgent, important, and original work that poses arresting questions about the nature of fiction itself.
This stunning debut from a rising literary star will captivate readers from start to finish.
About the Author
Lisa Halliday is an accomplished American writer whose literary work has been published in prestigious publications such as Granta and The Paris Review. In 2017, she was recognized for her talent when she received the Whiting Award for Fiction.
Her debut novel, Asymmetry, has been published in twenty languages and has received high praise from numerous publications such as The New York Times and The New Yorker, earning a spot on their Top Ten Books of 2018 list. Former President Obama has also named Asymmetry as one of his favorite books of the year.
The novel has been shortlisted for several awards including the Center for Fiction First Novel Award, the National Book Critics Circle John Leonard Award, the Los Angeles Times Art Seidenbaum Award for First Fiction, the Jewish Quarterly Wingate Prize, and the Prix du Premier Roman. Lisa spent her childhood in Medfield, Massachusetts and now resides in Italy with her husband and daughter.
Editoral Review
Lisa Halliday’s debut novel, Asymmetry, is a literary tour-de-force that explores themes of power, privilege, and identity with masterful precision. The book, first published on February 6, 2018, has garnered widespread critical acclaim and has been hailed for its unique structural approach to storytelling.
The novel is divided into three parts, each with its own distinct style and setting. The first part, titled “Folly,” follows the story of Alice, a young editorial assistant in New York who embarks on a romantic relationship with a much older and famous writer named Ezra Blazer.
The second part, titled “Madness,” takes place in the aftermath of the Iraq War and tells the story of Amar Jaafari, an Iraqi-American economist who is detained by immigration officials at Heathrow airport. The final part of the novel, titled “Ezra Blazer’s Desert Island Discs,” is a transcript of a radio interview with Ezra Blazer.
Halliday’s writing is both poetic and precise, with a keen ear for dialogue and a gift for vividly evoking the settings and characters of her story. The character of Ezra Blazer, in particular, is a triumph of character development, with his arrogance, vulnerability, and brilliance all skilfully portrayed.
The novel’s overarching themes of power and privilege are explored through the lens of the relationships between the different characters, with the ways in which they are seen and valued by society constantly examined. Halliday also makes powerful statements on war, immigration, and the American Dream throughout the course of the novel, providing a biting commentary on contemporary society.
Despite its many strengths, Asymmetry does have some flaws. The novel’s structure, while innovative, can at times feel disjointed, and some readers may struggle with the abrupt shifts between the different sections of the book.
Additionally, the novel’s conclusion feels somewhat ambiguous, leaving some questions unanswered. Overall, however, Asymmetry is a remarkable debut that announces the arrival of a major new literary talent.
Fans of Jonathan Franzen, Zadie Smith, and J.D. Salinger will find much to admire in Halliday’s work, which offers a fresh and insightful take on contemporary America. Rating: 4.5/5 stars.
