The Electric Michelangelo by Sarah Hall

337 pages Trade Paperback (Realistic Fiction)

I was in a used book store and as I looked around I found this colorful looking book. Having a lot of interest in Art I bought the book. As soon as I started reading it I was completely transfixed. It has been a while since I have been so engrossed in a book. I was carrying it with me everywhere, using every spare moment to pick it up and read a few pages.

The book focuses on the life of Cy in the early 1900’s. Cy’s father, a fisherman, died in a storm right before his birth. His mother runs a hotel that specializes in helping people with sicknesses, especially consumption. Hall weaves a tale of a small town and growing up in it. The village of Morecombe becomes a character on its own.
Although Cy is the main character and the story follows him, it goes deeply into the lives of those around him. It starts with his mother and what she goes through to support her son and the town they live in. It continues with Riley. This strange old man jumps into Cy’s life and leads him into the life of a tattoo artist. As time passes Cy eventually moves to America and sets up shop on Coney Island. As he becomes engrossed in strange life of a tattoo artist he meets a lady named Grace.
Sarah Hall is a fantastic writer. Her use of metaphor and simile are among the finest I have read. The characters are real and you get to see them from all sides. Cy is surrounded by strong people and his quiet nature keeps him from being fully known. Only after reading the whole book do you start to see the complexity of this main character.

Anyone with interest in literature will be engaged by this book. The writing, the characters, the story and the picture of the times makes each page worthwhile.

4 Emotional/intellectual: Each character in the book is interesting and in depth. I found myself being as involved with the “unlikeable” characters as the likeable ones.

5 Style/Readability: Considering I don’t know anyone that has heard of this writer I was blown away. Her style is fantastic and I was constantly engaged.

3 Long Term Impact: Hall isn’t a famous writer…YET. She has 4 books to her name and as time goes on I feel she will be more and more recognized for her great work.

12 out of 13: For a virtually unknown writer this is fantastic. Although this book may be slightly dense for some readers I think most will find this book very much worth their while.

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