Whoa.  This book.  As the name implies, it’s not equal, it’s not what you think.  And it’s not symmetrical.

Say what?  Yes, it is a bit difficult to pull the pieces of this book together, but I loved it just the same.  Told in three very distinctive parts, Asymmetry, Halliday’s debut novel, sets out to explore the imbalance of human relations and bias of inequities of age, power, wealth, fame, nationality and justice.

How does she explore these questions?  First with a story called Folly about an unexpected romance between Alice and a much older and very famous author.  Just as I am really falling for these characters and this unusual romance something unexpected happens.

The story ends.

Next Halliday offers a story called Madness.  This story by contrast is about Amar, an Iraqi-American who is detained by immigration officers in London.  Again you find the character compelling and you feel helpless for him to find justice.

Still waiting for these two separate stories to connect in some way, Madness also suddenly ends.

You are left wondering what Halliday wants you to think.  Finally she wraps the book up with a somewhat humorous and interesting radio interview of the older author from story number one.

This book is unique of all normal aspects of novel-writing and yet it provides a way to look at the questions of inequity through an inspired and powerful new style of novel-writing.

Although not for everyone, I give Asymmetry five stars.  Because four is too symmetrical.⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Read last week’s review of A Thousand Splendid Suns