Room on the Sea, André Aciman
A beautiful new novella from André Aciman, Room on the Sea tells the story of a man and woman in their sixties who meet during a sweltering New York summer while serving jury duty. Over the week, their initial connection develops into something more profound.
I love Aciman’s writing, and this book is no exception. It’s quietly impactful, excavating the kinds of feelings that people harbour but often fail to identify. Both the setting and the characters in it are seemingly mundane, yet what Aciman creates out of them feels magical.
Like Aciman’s other novels, this one also focuses not on plot but on the evolution of a relationship and its impacts on each character. The intimacy is established quickly but solidly, and it’s easy to want to keep joining this pair for their daily excursions. There is maturity to this novella, with the stakes both higher and somehow more relaxed: is it possible to disrupt the patterns of your life when you have resided in their comfort for so long?
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