Intrusions

Intrusions, by Ursula Hegi; Touchstone Publishing, 1997

Reviewed by Anne Holman

I highly recommend this humorous and original novel-within-a-novel that offers fascinating parallel stories between the author's novel and her own life. Ursula Hegi's Intrusions is an innovative exploration of doubts, choices and ambiguities between her book's characters, and her own existence. Reality and fiction merge in her writing and living. If you're looking for a great read that is 'deep as a too dark night sky', try Ahab's Wife, by Sena Jeter Naslund. This is a gripping depiction of life in Kentucky, Nantucket, and aboard a whaling vessel during the early 1800's. The book is written from the viewpoint of an independent-minded and curious young woman. I also enjoyed The Secret Papers of Madame Olivetti, a warm, fragrant and languorous 'escape' to a coastal village in southern France. This book is perfect for a too long winter.