BOWL OF FRUIT (1907) is a magically original story about two strangers and enticing secrets.
Leon’s neighbors call him a ‘freak’ but in truth he’s just a very eclectic man running from a past filled with secrets so rich that he doesn’t know the whole of them. Anna Tor is a talented ghost writer with secrets of her own, desperate to find Leon and tell him the rest of his story. BOWL OF FRUIT (1907) follows the day that Anna and Leon meet in London. While at first skeptical, Leon realizes with every passing hour that there are more connections between them than can be written off by coincidence.
While BOWL OF FRUIT (1907) undeniably starts off slow, once the novel starts delving into the intricacies of Leon’s incredibly complex psyche it’s impossible to put down. The secrets that define both the plot and Leon are incredibly original and Cacoyannis’s skill with delivery is truly incredible. Throughout the novel there is a constant sense of second-guessing which works with the dense style the author favors. Leon is always overthinking and second-guessing Anna’s actions, which, in Cacoyannis’s novel, is a strength rather than a detriment.
The vast majority of BOWL OF FRUIT (1907) takes place over a 24 hour period with only very occasional establishing flashbacks. Stretching a day to fill an entire novel is a bold choice, but despite the brevity of the time period nothing about the novel feels rushed or forced. Each addition to Leon’s story is welcome, and while his history with Anna may be fantastical it feels believable, a credit to Cacoyannis’s ability with character. Both Leon and Anna, while incredibly odd, feel real. Their histories might be impossible in the real world but Cacoyannis has built such dynamic and flawed people that it’s impossible to not find both them and their interactions fascinating.
BOWL OF FRUIT (1907) is an incredible read, filled with well-crafted characters and a plot that is refreshingly original.
~IndieReader.