The latest book I’ve completed is anything but light holiday reading. In fact, it’s one of the most harrowing books I could pick. This winner of the International Booker Prize, garnering accolades in France, is a brutal, visceral experience. I appreciate it most for its very effective use of first-person narrative, strong (and again, effective) theme of duality / the double and mesmerizing quality of writing featuring phrases recurring like in a religious litany or chant.