(I received a free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.)

The beginning wasn't half bad — slow, atmospheric, very stream-of-consciousness in a fragmented and chaotic way — but then the rest of the book was exactly the same, only in Arthur's POV instead of Sylvie's. The very title alludes to the half-finished and circuitous thoughts ("a small dark quiet" is how Sylvie describes Arthur when they first meet), and while it's stylistically interesting, for me it lost effectiveness around a third of the way through. That said, I did enjoy the repetitions of certain lines as they take on new meaning, the little callbacks to previous interactions, none of which are explained; it shows faith in the reader's intelligence, which doesn't seem to be so popular with conventionally marketed (commercial) books these days.

Although this book is divided into several parts, each is very similar in tone and primary "plot" — Sylvie's continuing postpartum depression and slipping grip on reality, Gerard's patriarchal demands, Arthur's inability to be who he or anyone in his family wants him to be —which adds to the monotony; it didn't feel like a journey of self-discovery/-exploration as the summary led me to believe, in part because I never connected with the characters. I could see the thoughts that consumed them, how they felt about the people around them, yet the narrative still felt very detached and clinical. I really only felt anything for Harry and Aunt Cynthia: mild curiosity, because they didn't get very much pagetime but they actually did things besides mope and lash out at those closest to them.

I'm also disappointed that the narrative was so unbalanced. Lydia's and Jack's stories were potentially fascinating, but they take a backseat to Arthur's angst over not being the "real" Arthur. Lydia is literally a younger version of Sylvie, delusions and domestic fantasies/playacting, and Jack is a hardworking but uneducated immigrant who literally carries an English dictionary with him at all times; neither has much bearing on the plot. I also felt like there was an attempt to establish a strong setting, since it's almost a secondary character in its own right, but it didn't really come through for me.

The ending was also dissatisfying. I identified a place that would make for a nice ending, a good mix of closure and ambiguity, and was frustrated to see that there were still a few chapters to go — none of which really added to the narrative, and the significance of the actual ending was totally lost on me.

For someone who likes a slow, introspective story focused around grief, guilt, and other all-consuming emotions, this might be one to try. Otherwise, I'd recommend something a little more exciting, with more dynamic characters and plot.