If the many-layered story of A.S. Byatt’s Possession is a favorite of yours because of the quality of the writing, the intertwining story lines and the different historical periods, then the following novels may be for you.

The Dream of Scipio
Iain Pears (2002)
Three different couples whose lives are paralleled in three different stories set in three different times are tied together by a neo-Platonic manuscript whose philosophy plays an important role in the lives of all the characters.

The Lyre of Orpheus
Robertson Davies (1989)
A graduate student who recreates an unfinished opera by the 19th century composer E.T.A. Hoffman feels his life reawakened by his effort to bring Hoffman’s work to completion. This story combines romance, scholarship, music and theater.

Antonietta
John Hersey (1993)
A violin, made by Stradivari, passes through the hands of a variety of players from its construction to the present day, and in each case the author captures the essential elements of the time and character. Hersey uses letters and monologues in addition to straight narrative to bring life to the story.

Compiled by Marie Field (9/07)

Another reader found Possession to be so unique and multi-faceted that she looked for books with a lyrical style and complex storylines that drive the characters on a quest towards some intellectual or personal discovery. Along with Davies’ The Lyre of Orpheus (see above), she suggested these:

The Map of Love
Ahdaf Soueif (2000)
In these parallel love stories set 100 years apart between American and Egyptian characters, the main character searches for information about a collection of her great-grandmother’s letters and notebooks, and what those letters reveal. This is a romantic book that also includes an exploration of politics in Egypt, past and present.

The Shape of Sand
Marjorie Eccles (2006)
In Edwardian England, a woman disappears and the clues to her life are revealed through letters that are discovered by her daughters in this book written in eloquent prose.

The Moor’s Last Sigh
Salman Rushdie (1995)
This story spans several generations of a family from southern India. Rushdie is also known for his exquisite prose and this fanciful story hurtles the reader through the lives, loves and passions of its characters as well as the history of India itself.

Compiled by Becky Rohr (9/07)

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