not what you would call a light read.

Duplex by Kathryn Davis is a novel that should probably be read twice to truly grasp the author’s message, as the first round may go right over your head. If you’re not turned off by a novel that challenges you, by all means dive in, the water’s fine. The world Davis has created in this novel is like a dream, a very strange dream that is almost impossible to understand. I must give the proper accoutrements to her vivid imagination; however, much of the story was lost on me at first glance. It opens on a suburban street with sycamore trees planted at regular intervals, as an attractive middle-aged schoolteacher named Miss Vicks, takes her dachshund on a walk. You learn more about this woman as the story reads on, strange things keep happening and it does not stop. It’s not exactly easy to explain, so I’ll leave it to you to take the plunge.