Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of Held by Anne Michaels.

Usually the star rating system works for me, but sometimes I wish I could just rate a book "not for me." Yes, the writing is poetic and very beautiful, but I just couldn't get into this story. I rarely knew what was going on. Even with a beautiful poetic style, I still enjoy being able to follow a story.

I probably wouldn't have finished this if it didn't read like an overlong New Yorker short story. Held is a novel completely overshadowed by its prose, which is frilly and roundabout to the point of frustration. The narrative style is dull and over-intrusive. I kept yelling at the narrator in my head to just... let things happen as they happen!
Any point Michaels is trying to make here about the power of memory doesn't work - instead, I wish I could have forgotten Held instead. Not for me.

My thanks to both NetGalley and to the publisher Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for an advanced copy of this book about a man who experiences in war shadow his life and lives of others, never really letting go, or ever becoming clear.

My mom loved taking photos of my family when I was a kid. My Mom still has big photo albums, all numbered and dated, full of pictures detailing all those special events, holidays, and vacations. She also has the negatives, that came with the photos when she sent them to be developed, in a separate box, again dated and numbered. These negatives are something I always found fascinating. One could make out what the photo was, but as one went down the card, the pictures were always missing something. One moment a kid is at a table, my brother, myself, a cousin, suddenly a cake, then half a cake, then a gift. What happened in between is lost, though the big moments are saved. Who brought the cake, who ate the cake, what was the present. Held, by Anne Michaels, is a story about a man who suffers an injury during a battle. An event that changes the way he looks at the world, how he sees his art, and how if lingers on the generations that follow. A work of prose that reads like poetry, with images that are hard to forget.

John is fighting in the First World War by the River Escault, when John is caught in an explosion that sends him flying. As John tries to figure out what has happened, John realizes that he has no feeling in his hands and legs, and only the vision of a fellow soldier to look at. John thinks back to his meeting with Helena, a woman who stopped at the wrong train station, was drawn to a pub by song and laughter, and who he spent a special night with. After the war, John and Helena an artist are living in North Yorkshire, where John is involved in the photography business. John's photos though have something odd about them. Something in them that shouldn't be there, not a corruption but a shadow, or an image that refuses definition.

A book that reads like poetry in many ways, with a use of language and imagery that is rare in fiction and tells a story that is really hard to summerize. However it is one of the most well-written an intriguing stories I have read in quite awhile. The author is a poet, and one can see that influence, especially in the opening which sets the style for the story to come. John's tale about Helena, told almost from her point of view, sleeping on the train, getting off at the wrong station, and hearing the sounds of frivolity and welcome from the pub, are beautiful, and really invest a reader in the story. Which goes to a lot of places unexpected. Some scenes are like looking at photos, clear and honest, some are like looking at a sheet of negatives, or listening to jazz. What isn't there is the important stuff, and even for a slim novel, carries a very emotional punch.

A book that is for readers who love language, a fan of poetry, like different kind of novels, or love books that are different. People will not be disappointed. I look forward to more works by Anne Michaels.

"Held" by Anne Michaels is a novel that spans generations, exploring themes of love, loyalty, and the enduring impact of war. The narrative begins in 1917 on a battlefield near the River Escaut, where John lies injured and unable to move after an explosion. As he struggles with memory, the story unfolds, encompassing chance encounters, intimate moments, and the haunting memories of war.

In 1920, John returns from the war to North Yorkshire, near a different river. Although alive, he is not whole, and the novel delves into his attempts to rebuild his life. Reunited with Helena, an artist, John reopens his photography business, but the past resurfaces in unexpected ways. Ghostly images appear in his photographs, carrying messages that he cannot fully comprehend.

The narrative spans four generations, exploring the connections and consequences that ripple through time. Moments of desire, comprehension, longing, and transcendence are captured in radiant detail. The novel weaves together a tapestry of emotions and experiences, exploring the complexities of human relationships and the enduring impact of historical events.

"Held" is described as affecting and intensely beautiful, promising a story rich in mystery, wisdom, and compassion. Anne Michaels, known for her international bestsellers like "Fugitive Pieces" and "The Winter Vault," demonstrates her storytelling prowess in this novel, presenting a narrative that resonates with the human experience across time.

Unlike any other book I’ve read, this reads more like poetry. It is beautiful and lyrical. Rather than a story it’s more like scenes woven together. I’m not a huge fan of poetry, but I really enjoyed this book.

Thanks to NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor, Knopf for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Held is a contemplative story that spans across several generations. The plot line seems to be more focused on character’s thoughts and contemplations about life, love, and loss. One thing that stood out to me was how interconnected we are throughout generations with our desire to be loved and ache from the loss of our loved ones.

This was my first time reading a book that followed this type of format- each chapter contained a series of different lines of thought from the character. While a challenging read, I found it incredibly interesting.

River Escaut, Cambrai France, 1917. Badly injured on the battlefield, "would [John] know the moment of his death or would it be like night falling[?]" Awaiting his fate, he was flooded with memories of Helen. They had met by "blind chance, an argument for destiny". Helen, having fallen asleep on the train, disembarked one stop too early. Their encounter provided "sudden intimacy". "But pleasures were countless, beyond itself...even only in memory; and in your body, even when forgotten...the infinite as unmanageable as the finite." "He could not understand how he had been so lucky- to be left for dead, gutted, thrown back." He was destined to return home.

1920, North Yorkshire. John reopened his photography studio. There was a high demand for family photos, a permanent memento of family life as wartime days had produced "urgency, sinking dread, inertia...". Shadows appearing on some prints conjured images of ghosts and other spiritual entities...messages, perhaps from beyond.

Using a fragmented type of storytelling, poet/novelist Anne Michaels introduces the reader to a generational family saga beginning in 1902 and culminating in 2025. Every sentence in this challenging read is impactful, with prose beautiful to behold. The most patient reader might choose to reread passages to truly appreciate its philosophical content. "Are we born with feelings already in us, waiting to be recognized?". "You could put a word in front of your thoughts and see everything through that word-faith, family, war, illness...or, you could put your hands in front of your eyes in denial-but...you can't stop seeing what's inside you...".

"I imagine an active surface where time and space meet, in constant excitation, time and space igniting the other...We change space and we change time as we move-We cannot go back, instead we must move forward into the past that exists as present memory, each movement altering the potential, each movement and thought changing the probability cloud of the future, the 'cloud of the unknowing'." "Do you think it's possible, for good to survive long enough, to outlast, to wait, to endure, while evil consumes itself? It was a philosophical question, a parent's question, a lover's question."

"Held" is a family journey through space and time with stops for war, spirit photography, mediums, Madame Curie, and with a nod to woman suffragists. "We think of history as moments of upheaval when forces converge...But sometimes history is simply detritus...Sometimes both: a continual convergence of stories unfolding too quickly or too gradually to follow; sometimes, too intimate to know." A highly recommended tome.

Thank you Knopf/Pantheon/Vintage/Anchor and Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.