THE WHOLE WORLD OVER by Julia Glass
ISBN: 0375422749
Format: Hardcover, 528pp
Pub. Date: May 2006
Publisher: Knopf Publishing Group
Julia Glass is a brilliant writer. Her writing flows beautifully and is addictably readable. The novel is packed with delicate and gorgeous observations of every day life. She is able to take something as simple as the baking of a cake or traveling through a neighborhood street and turn the entire scene into one of thoughtful introspection amongst her characters.
THE WHOLE WORLD OVER is simple in it’s grace and yet complex in the thoughts and feelings that are brought forth through her characters. The readers explore infidelity, homosexuality, family issues, self-awareness as well as humility in the lives of her characters who live enormous internal lives.
Julia Glass is one of those writers whom aspiring writers read and only dream of producing work of her magnitude. She allows her readers to become voyeurs looking into the lives of entirely real people who could be found anywhere in our world today. These are not fictional characters because while you read about them they are alive and well, if not somewhat confused with their own circumstances. The questions about life, love and character are not only posed to the characters, but to the readers as well. Glass does what few writers are able to do, make readers think and learn and grow. You will find yourself savoring her prose and resisting reaching the final page of THE WHOLE WORLD OVER because you will not want to leave these characters.
I highly recommend you to pick up her newest title and then immediately run right out and read her National Book Award winning THREE JUNES, if you haven’t already.
