Eight White Nights: A Novel

At the time of this review, I would rate this novel as the best book I have read in 2010. First, let me just say that I am a huge Andre Aciman fan and am pre-disposed to like anything he writes! That being said I really must say that this book is a masterwork of prose. I have read some of the online reviews posted here and it seems that the main objection they raise is that "nothing happens" or that there is "no action" in this novel. I take issue with these reviews because I think a tremdous amount does "happen" and that there is alot of "action" in this novel...it just takes place internaly. Indeed, there is not even that much dialogue written but when you can write as well as Mr. Aciman does, dialogue seems superfluous. I found myself underlining and highlighting various sentences and passages (something I never do in works of fiction) so as to return to them often. Here I am thinking of page 62...see Clara's explanation of people she has met and lightness and darkness...amazing writing. The main character "the man" or "the narrator" is not given a name throughout the entire novel. This was a stroke of brilliance on the author's part...this character is ME and maybe even YOU...he does not need an identity...that would only act as an impediment to understanding him better. What is interesting is the small amount of "page time" his mother and father are given considering their importance. "the man" is a product of those people (and who amongst us isn't?) and all that he does when he meets Clara, all of his discomfort, insecurity etc. stem from them...and again, who amongst us can say otherwise? But, while he (and us) are a product of his past...the novel progresses to an ending "rich" with possibility, and it all hinges on a "chance" meeting, at a party that he didn't even want to go to. To me, the theme of possibilities, that nothing is "set in stone" and that even someone who is 28 can evolve and be open to chance is incredibly encouraging...happy ending? You decide!!! I must also take a moment to say a few words about the "bonus" gifts Mr. Aciman's books give me. When other writers use outside references, say...art, literature or music to give us a "feel" for the character I tend to read over them even if I am not familiar with those references cited. However...for some reason...Mr. Acimans books make me want to read the books he references and especially, listen to the music refrenced. Trust me, listen to the Bach Sonata transcribed by Siloti and that passage in the book will resonate even more!!! Listen to the Beethoven and you will understand the importance of the gift "the man" gives Clara. By no means is this listening a requisite...but trust me...you will want to!

Aciman is always completely original & unforeseen to say the least. Eight White Nights is a gorgeous book, deeply felt & a very sensual novel. I'd give it six stars & conclude by saying it was totally captivating & a hell of a lot of fun to read. Dennis Keith

"Eight White Nights" is a lot to take in--in the best possible way. Compelling and original, the book is beautifully written. It captures the darts and dashes, the intimate thoughts and longings, the intensity of the young (in every way) passion of the two main characters with such power that it's hard to put down. But read slowly to let the full sensuality and intelligence of the book wash over you. This is a truly rewarding, moving, brilliantly articulate and thoughtful book.

I've been following Aciman's work for years. This is his most intelligent, most beautiful and most ambitious work. Everything from the first night to the eighth is filled with the agony and the beauty of romance. Having finished the novel, I can still hear his voice in my head. I don't want it to go away.

In an age of dumbed-down, pigeon-holed, pandering literature, Eight White Nights reminds us that it is still possible to write a masterful work. Aciman has entered the pantheon of writers whose work will be read and taught for generations. No book in recent memory has leaped headlong into the iffiness and muddle of romance so profoundly, as the unnamed narrator exposes the endless implications of a word or a gesture or an apparent mixed signal. Aciman's groundbreaking memoir Out of Egypt (and much of his other nonfiction) reveals an obsession with geographic uncertainty. Apparently, fiction has given Aciman the no-holds-barred courage to rev it into high gear as he excavates the heart's similar ambivalence. Eight White Nights forces the issue. Aciman makes the reader squirm, as there is no escaping what we find when cornered into previously unprobed, endless levels of anxiety and insecurity in ourselves. Residents of New York City's Upper West Side may appreciate the local action, but familiarity is unnecessary as this story needs no location. Similarly, educated readers will appreciate the influence of Keats, Dostoyevsky, Joyce and many others, but those who don't will miss nothing as they reel from the impact of this masterpiece.