In his overambitious fifth novel, two-time Governor General's award–winner Ricci (The Lives of Saints
) introduces Alex Fratarcangeli, a 30-something Ph.D. student living in 1986 Montreal. Markedly immature, anxiety-ridden, and unable to complete his dissertation, Alex is in therapy after a bad break-up, and his interest in Charles Darwin and the meaning of life has him dangling in existential limbo. The novel takes the reader through an exhaustive look at a year in Alex's life—with extensive flashbacks—pausing to flesh out each minor player's tale in sometimes excessive length. Alex's general inability to move forward stems not only from his failed relationships but also from a summer he spent in the Galápagos Islands with an English researcher, and though he slides through a series of sexual relationships with a diverse set of women, it's a platonic friendship with a sickly young woman that brings out the best in him. Ricci's accomplished prose does much to mitigate an unruly story line and an overstocked cast; Alex's pathetic flailings, meanwhile, will, depending on the reader, either endear or annoy. (Apr.)
