Dinosaurs. Lydia Millet. 2022. 230 pages. (Hardcover.)
The Tucson, Az. prolific novelist chooses Gil, a middle-aged bachelor from the east coast as the main character in this brief tale. In 2016, he sells his home in NYC and relocates to Phoenix. In very small morsels, his unusual personal history is revealed to the reader, and is tied to his very eccentric behaviour and his difficulties with relationships. He is orphaned, insecure, altruistic, wealthy from an inheritance, philanthropic, averse to conflict and confrontation, and frugal in his personal life, but why he has developed these traits is a mystery only slowly revealed.
The title refers to a growing interest shared with a friend in various bird species, the modern descendants of ancient extinct dinosaurs, and different bird species head each of the unnumbered chapters. In a tenuous sense their characteristics are related to his.
There are lots of poorly concealed marital infidelities, but no explicit pornography. Weak attempts to impart universal profound truths about the human condition generally fall flat, and Gil seems almost too altruistic and kind to be real.
One quote worth considering, although a bit enigmatic: “Freedom can only be found in the mind, my dear” she said. “Not in the world.”
An interesting, well-written short but not very memorable read.
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thanks, The New Yorker, Goodreads.
The Passionate Reader 