Samuel R. Delany and A. S. Byatt both praised this one which was more than enough for me to give it a go. It did nothing for me though… I didn’t find the fictional protagonist interesting, nor the relationship with Brecht, nor Brecht as a character. It reminded me of Mary Reilley by Valerie Martin though not as enjoyable or engrossing. I think… I expected an elegant and insightful short novel with meticulous language and surprising construction. That’s not what this was. With a better understanding of the author’s intent, I might have enjoyed it more. I’ll keep an eye on other reviews to see what I missed.