I liked another book by this author but found this too wordy and dull. I only read about 1/3.

At best 3 short stories, author, Epstein, and Kafka, none of which actually comes to a conclusion, an intertwining, or much of anything. Lots of false cards, (the fallen man,, the family of David, the lost suitcase of Kafka, the abducted author) none of which does much more than take up written space. Not traditional written, think of the non-plot conclusion of Ulysses. Odd, interesting, but out of the norm. Not a particularly notable book.

"In the end, we have made ourselves ill with knowledge." I read Krauss's "Great House" and while it was well-written, it didn't really engage me. I had the same problem with her latest book, "Forest Dark," which ping pongs between Tel Aviv and New York City. Judaism and writing seem to be the main themes. The title comes from Dante.

This book had great reviews so I decided to read it. Too much for me. Two characters who never meet make their way to Tel Aviv to try to fix their blocked lives. One, a writer, hopes she will be able to finally remove the blockage and write her next novel, while at the same time come to terms with her failing marriage and her love for her children. The other, a wealthy lawyer, has divested himself of all his possessions except for two million dollars which he hopes to find a worthy cause to donate it to in honour of his parents. Sounds straightforward, but these two plots are secondary to their endless wondering about their lives, the meaning of their lives, the getting back of their reality, their sense of Jewishness, their sense of the meaning of Jewish history, and on and on. I understand that the author is a very respected person, but for the casual reader like myself, this book was just too much of a slog for me.

Some interesting insights and impressive writing in the opening pages, but then it is a long, dull slog thereafter. Full of quasi-intellectual posturings of the sort found in a university creative writing workshop. I picked up this novel having read several good press reviews , but I found it disappointingly short on humanity.