During a big black out Radar is born, an ebony skinned baby, to his white parents. His mother's search for an explanation (and possibly a cure) brings them to Norway to a rather peculiar set of artists, physicists and puppeteers.
I don't know where to start. This was definitely different from what I expected, but in a good way. Even though it's quite the story, coming in at over 650 pages, and at times the story is a bit slow, it felt like so much was going on all at once. Radar may be the book's namesake, he didn't feel like the main character.
Interspersed with Radar's story, the book follows the lives of several other people in a number of 20th century conflicts. It is during these flashback, which I think make up at least half of the book, that Radar is completely absent. It also takes quite a while before it becomes clear just how these stories fit together in the main story.
However, I was never bored and in fact it was an easier read than I at first expected. While at times it felt a bit like it was trying too much to be the next special novel, I still enjoyed it a lot and would recommend it.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
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