Although he confesses that A Book of Memories, Nádas?s monumental work published in 1997 is a stronger novel, Freeman acknowledges the richness of Parallel Stories.
?Reading it feels like wandering into an enormous castle made entirely of velvet, designed by an eccentric who wants you to get lost,? he says.
?Parallel Stories constantly shows how reality keeps splintering - as families erode and the cornice work of buildings crumbles, new governments arise and entire new worlds are created. But the old one is right there, too. The most moving passages concern this phenomenon: where the political requirements of living in a once-Stalinist regime collide with the natural human tendency to forget,? Freeman writes.
?Through Parallel Stories, Nádas reminds us he can be an astonishing writer,? he adds.
Source: Hungarian News Agency (MTI) / The Boston Globe
