Beginning Middle End by Valeria Luiselli
7/28/26; 368 pages
Knopf Doubleday
Beginning Middle End by Valeria Luiselli is a recommended literary novel - for the right reader - which follows a mother and daughter on a trip to Sicily.
After a divorce a mother with her precocious 12-year-old daughter take off traveling in Europe for her book tour. The two are also worried about their mother/grandmother's dementia. They end up in Catania, Sicily, near the ancient ruins where the mother’s grandmother worked years ago. The focus is on generations of women in a family and the changes that can happen during the different stages of life. They are planning to return an ancient tile depicting the head of the sea god Proteus that the mother's grandmother dug up and kept years ago. Woven into the story is mythology from ancient Greek and Roman texts, including Ovid’s Metamorphoses, Pliny the Elder’s writings, and Proteus, as well as watching eruption of Mount Vesuvius.
The strongest parts of the slow-paced, loosely structured plot follow the mother/daughter relationship and their family legacy. While it has beautifully written parts, the narrative is deliberately slow and never totally held my complete attention. The writing felt like it was written purposefully in a stream-of-consciousness style, of which I'm not a fan. It actually felt overly reflective and, well, pretentious at times.
As someone who actually loves literary novel and mythology, I was looking forward to this novel. It wasn't quit what I was anticipating and expected. Actually all the mythological references were overdone and failed to enhance the plot, such as it was. Included in the plot is an migration theme. I can appreciate the parts of the novel that worked, however, it wasn't a good choice for me.
Beginning Middle End is a good choice for those who enjoy literary novels with a focus on classical mythology. Thanks to Knopf Doubleday for providing me with an
advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and
expresses my honest opinion.
