Review: The Swan Thieves
Elizabeth Kostova always has something interesting lurking in her books. They always begin very straightforward with an engaging premise: a girl encounters her father's letters, a psychiatrist has a silent, violent patient referred to him. It's a nice hook, one you think you can see coming. However, Kostova veers off the tried-and-true path into an undiscovered country. After reading The Historian , I knew I'd follow her anywhere — and yet I was skeptical when I discovered the premise of The Swan Thieves . Blame it on my inability to draw or paint, or maybe my intimidation of Art History (note the initial caps) — but I was not sure if it was my cup of tea. What was I thinking? It was Elizabeth Kostova . 'Nuff said. In her second novel, Kostova introduces us to Andrew Marlow, a psychiatrist and painter who has a sad, silent patient referred to him. The psychiatric patient, Robert, was arrested for trying to knife a painting at the National Gallery of Art....