Let the Dark Flower Blossom

March 1, 2013
A story about storytelling from Minnesota-based author Labiner. Labiner's style combines elements of poetry and theater and features fast, clipped prose. Several stories here circle around each other. The central story concerns orphaned twins Sheldon and Eloise. Eloise is married to a lawyer who specializes in undermining the testimony of witnesses to murders by questioning their memories. Before their marriage, Eloise was involved with her brother Sheldon's friend, Roman Stone, an acclaimed author who stole the story Sheldon couldn't bring himself to start. The book begins with Roman's death (a murder of course) and flashes back to reveal multiple, alternating points of view. Concurrent with questions raised about what actually happened are questions about the accuracy of memory, especially when combined with guilt and self-doubt. Dark and intriguing.

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May 1, 2013

In her fourth novel, both a dark, compelling mystery and a meditation on fame, literature, family, and loss, award-winning author Labiner (German for Travelers: A Novel in 95 Lessons) excels at alternating voices with poetic concision. The book begins with the murder of celebrity author Roman Stone, and as the story unfolds we hear mostly from Sheldon Schell, aging widower, hermit, and Roman's former best friend, but also from Sheldon's twin sister, Eloise, and a naive young girl swept up in Roman's magic. Roman's death evokes memories of their times together in college, in L.A., and during that one notorious weekend they all shared at a remote house in the snow. Never fear, the body count doesn't stop with Roman. VERDICT As rewarding as it is challenging, this book is a great alternative to a beach read for those who love literary mysteries, though it's perhaps best enjoyed a bit later in the year, with a fire and a tall glass of dark red wine. Recommended for those who thought that even Gone Girl didn't have enough troubled characters and unforeseen twists.--Kate Gray, Worcester, MA

Copyright 2013 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 15, 2013
This fourth novel by Labiner (Miniatures, 2002) is digressive and self-consciously literary, a puzzle of a book, but it engages one's attention through staccato prose and a number of interrelated and compelling characters. At the center is best-selling novelist Roman Stone, whose murder propels the story, narrated most prominently by Stone's former college sidekick, Sheldon Schell, who, along with his twin sister, Eloise, weaves in and out of Stone's life, which is revealed only obliquely. Sheldon's and Eloise's own curious life stories (their parents, too, were killed under mysterious circumstances) and romantic entanglements also feature prominently. Not an easy read, though seemingly influenced by Peter Straub's modern horror classic Ghost Story, this existential murder mystery, as its publisher describes it, will reward attentive readers unbothered by Labiner's calculatedly enigmatic approach and often strained style.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)