The Ninth Life of Louis Drax

Written: Wednesday, May 25, 2005 2:10pm

The Ninth Life of Louis Drax, by Liz Jensen

Read on recommendation from what seems to be my book source here in Neuch.

A small book, this one took me a while to get into. I’d started reading it a long time ago, but for quite some time didn’t open it to continue the story. Luckily, once I’d finally started reading again, the story seemed to pick up pace and my reading drought changed (as it always seems to).
With everything in my life, it seems that reading comes in waves. I’ll start getting into a rhythm and I’ll be able to keep reading for quite some time, but then if I stop for whatever reason, it takes me awhile to get started again. In high school I attempted to start running everyday. I kept a running tally of how long it lasted on the wall of the school Yearbook office, but now I forget what it summed up to. 11 days? I have no clue. I forget things easily (another character flaw that I’ve often lamented). Same goes for my attempts at trying to get a six pack. Or running on the treadmill in the basement. Even watching TV while running doesn’t help matters. I think I’m pretty good at controlling myself from seriously porking out on Swiss chocolate. I have resolved to try every single chocolate bar at least once during my stay in Switzerland, but gradually. Although, if I start eating the stuff, I seem to continue for a couple days and then stop again cold turkey. Seems like I either snack on peanut butter constantly or not at all. Does that mean I’m a binger?
Back to the book.
I wasn’t really sure where the plot was going as I started getting into it, which I guess was a good thing, because it kept me interested. Once I started feeling comfortable with the style of the book and I guess starting to understand what the author was trying to do, the rest of the story was pretty predictable.
It’s a neat book I guess. I didn’t LOVE it, but I’d recommend it to others to read.