The Devil’s Reward: A Novel

One would certainly hope that this book reads better in its original language. For me, the story is confusing, and the introduction of Rudolf Steiner as a character baffles me. He seems so unconnected to the rest of the story. The story begins in a very interesting and hopeful way. It is told from the vantage point of the grandmother and matriarch of the family. Her daughter and granddaughter are returning to Paris to recover from the son-in-law’s infidelity. This premise could be so interesting if it was used to truly explore these intergenerational lives. Instead, the story is hijacked into the telling of another generation’s love affair, which was not of interest to this reader. Also, although the grandmother was described as a free thinker with an uptight daughter, this description was not carried through in their dialogue and thoughts. The granddaughter’s study of Steiner seemed to be a device to connect the stories that didn’t quite work.