The Physiognomy

I didn't like this book for about the first half. I was sure I was going to give it two stars. Then something happened and I got completely caught up in it and couldn't wait to see how it would end. The main character is not likeable for a long time. The prose is dense. The world-building was bizarre. But it all came together into a couldn't-put-it-down experience. This book is described as Kafkaesque, which often translates to depressing and not understandable, but here, it was more of the oppressive and nightmarish quality of a Kafka story. This certainly isn't a good time read. But it has depth and weight. This book won the World Fantasy Award for 1998.

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