Written by a neurologist, this book deals with the aftermath of an automobile accident in which Martin, a Canadian architect, can't come to terms with his loss of spatial awareness (neglect syndrome). His long-estranged brother is the only family member who supports Martin through his rehabilitation and return to "normal" life. It's hard to follow in parts when told from Martin's point of view, because he doesn't understand what is lacking from his vision, and is increasingly paranoid as the story proceeds. ( )

Trying to put his life back together after a horrific accident in a snowstorm – his car parked on the side of the road no match for the snowplow – Martin’s is a battle with his brain, which has been left badly damaged. Once a successful architect in Montreal, he is now under the guardianship of his older brother, a retired veterinarian. This is a character driven story, driven by unlikeable characters, in unrelenting darkness of spirit - Martin’s past, Brendan’s past, their lives unconnected for decades. Martin’s life parallels the life he imagines of his Russian architect idol.

I thought the author did a fine job portraying the life of a person suffering from the loss of spatial awareness called “neglect syndrome”, and with the architectural descriptions and settings. I found it well written and interesting, and I appreciated learning about this piece of a medical syndrome. ( )

This is the story of Martin, a former architect who wakes from a coma only to find that he has had a brain injury causing "neglect syndrome" - the loss of spatial awareness. He refuses to accept his condition and the result is that he becomes increasingly paranoid, agitated and clashes with all those around him. The story is quite slow and plodding and I found I just really did not like Martin at all, which made it very hard to remain interested in the book. ( )

When I started reading this book I thought it was the best written book I've ever received from early
reviewers. The writing style was very clear and clean and the author expresses himself very well. I was very impressed by the fact that this was only the author's second novel and that he actually works as a
neurologist(!)because I find his writing style to be so fine. But then I got stuck in the middle of the book and I found it difficult to pick up again. I finally did finish it and my final feelings is that the book moves in too many different directions ending up with a very confused plot.One of the other major problems with
the book is that the author seems to focused on the mental state of the main character, that I felt I was
learning more then I wanted to know. It got to the point that I didn't care about how he reacted to things.
The secondary plot line about the Soviet architect was very, very interesting, but sometimes it seemed to move out of the principle focus of the book as the story dealt with the Vietnam war and relations of siblings. By the end of the book even a senile mother is introduced, for what purpose I wasn't sure. And then late on there is all these details about the city of Detroit, and I wasn't sure what the point of all of that was. It was interesting..but the book kept moving in far too many directions for me to feel totally comfortable with it. A lot of people comment on the "surprise" ending..the explanation for the accident
that has happened to the main character Daniel, but this is dealt with so succinctly by the author that
it didn't seem to matter so much to me. I think the writer has a great prose style, I just wish the book
was more tightly edited. Overall I think it went on longer than it probably should have. ( )

Martin was a successful architect, with his own company. He had a family, but a distant one. And then he was in an accident which put him in a coma. After he awoke, he was in the hospital for many months, doing physical therapy to regain skills that were once so easy for him. He felt as though he was doing much better, but what he didn't realize was that he had a brain injury that blocked part of his vision. His brother, Brendan, from whom Martin had been estranged for years, decides it is his familial duty to take care of Martin. The two brothers hardly know each other when Martin first comes home, and they spend some time learning about each other again. As the brothers try to find a way to live their new lives, Brendan starts to realize that maybe Martin's accident wasn't entirely an accident. Brendan tries to help Martin recognize the full extent of his injuries, but Martin does not want to know how bad off he really is. As the days progress, Martin starts to understand where his life is now, and has to come to terms with the mess he has made of his family relationships. When I first started this book, I wasn't sure if I would like it. I am not that interested in architecture, and I didn't want to read a book about it. But the book is really about Martin and his injuries, and the two brothers trying to form a relationship that has been long dead. It is more about relationships and coming to terms with a life one may not be proud of creating, but has to live all the same. The end of the book felt like it was kind of thrown in; it didn't really fit in the book, except to further the ideas about family relationships. Overall, not a bad story. ( )