There are some books that puzzle me because they have intricate layers, call on background knowledge I don’t have, or because I’m too dense to pick up what the author is putting down. Then there are books that puzzle me because I think they don’t know what they want to be. Let me explain, using Andrea Molesini’s novel, Not All Bastards are from Vienna, as an example. It’s entirely possible that I didn’t understand the book; it’s an award winner, after all. But I didn’t understand this book because the tone vacillates between picaresque coming-of-age story and grim World War II novel of conscience. On their own, these narratives would have worked. Together, they are an unfunny odd couple...

Read the rest of my review at A Bookish Type. I received a free copy of this ebook from Edelweiss, in exchange for an honest review.