by A. S. Byatt

isbn: 0679735909
subject: Fiction and Literature
finished: 11/24/1997

Possession is a beautiful, dark, intricate novel about two academics that investigate a previously unknown connection between the Victorian poets that they study. They become obsessed with this inner story, which is revealed though letters, diaries, and poems. Byatt's sense of voice is incredible -- it's hard to believe that all the characters were created by a single author. Her style is interesting; the book is self-referential and there are sometimes jarring transitions between the third-person limited and omniscient points of view as facts are revealed to the reader that the scholars never discover. As in The Gold Bug Variations, which is similar to Possession in a number of ways, the frame and inner stories complement each other and create a coherent whole. This is the best book I've read in months; top recommendations.