I just finished reading Dream Lives of Butterflies by Jaimee Wriston Colbertson. I love the melodic sentences and eloquent language of her writing. I felt very engaged by her novel. Most of it is set Saint Louis and some in Hawaii. I enjoy the compilation of short-stories-turned-novel method of literary fiction. That is something I wish to do someday--write a novel of 'excerpts' that weave together to create a beautiful unified piece of disparate characters, settings, themes, and images. I believe the idea is similar to the six degrees of separation theory, and can function as a great organizing principle for modern literature.
The only criticism I have of this book is that the connections between stories were not strong enough. Some of the characters fell off never to reappear again. I can't handle that. If I am given partial understanding, I must have full disclosure (or at least really big hints). You can't tell me Lucy had a troubled childhood graffitiing rocks and then dismiss her. You can't tell me a story about a woman getting groped on a plane by a stranger and drop her to be never mentioned again. Argh. Don't get me wrong, the interweaving that did take place was intricate and extremely meaningful, but unaddressed concerns can become a little too frustrating. Don't ever make your reader feel unsatisfied when all is said and done.
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