The Third Hotel

Unsettled. From the beginning to the end of Laura van den Berg’s novel titled, The Third Hotel, I was unsettled. There’s a fluid movement from reality to the supernatural or surreal. Imagination blends with the physical world. A setting in Havana adds some mystery and an inability to become comfortable. I was propelled and pummeled by van den Berg’s fine writing, leading me to reread some sentences. Marriage, sorrow, love, loss, and grief are all offered on the pages of this novel for readers to sort out. Has protagonist Claire really seen her dead husband, Richard, in Havana at the film festival he had planned to attend? Is our life a horror movie? Readers who enjoy literary fiction and who can become comfortable with being unsettled and ending the book with uncertainty are those most likely to enjoy this finely written novel. Rating: Four-star (I like it) Click here to purchase The Third Hotel from amazon.com.