Lincoln in the Bardo - why I don't like experiments

Rarely does a book let me down - particularly if I'm inspired by the first few pages. So let's talk about those pages first. It didn't seem as if I was reading the book; I was watching it. And watching something deeply personal without the protagonist's consent. There was a strange, voyeuristic sensation attached to my progress in the book. I remember thinking that words here have a life of their own - sentences and paragraphs just saunter in or march out as and when they please, instead of beig governed by a central narrative or plot. But again, those were just for the first few pages. I picked up a novel and I novel I expected. If I wanted an experimental crafting of words with zero sense of style, I would have gone to Terribly Tiny Tales or some such initiatives that the internet is peppered with these days; anyone can be a writer, apparently.

I now realize that I am struggling to create content for reviewing this book and that's basically because the book doesn't have much for me take away. Saunders must be a genius, no doubt. Because to write like this deliberately does take talent. I was genuinely wowed at a few places but the 'voices' and the ghosts were just too much to take. What critics call alternative storytelling sums up to no plot and no character development essentially. So if you're one of those who like getting lost in a book, to be never found again, go for it. As for me, no more avant-gardism, no more experimentation.