A shift from Dave Eggers’ previous forays into experimental fiction, Contrapposto is a sweeping story about love and art. Robert ‘Cricket’ Dibb first encounters Olympia when she encourages him to use his artistic flair to deface a new playground. From this defining moment, their lives become intertwined, from adolescence to their seventies.
As Cricket immerses himself in his art to distract from his upbringing and seek refuge from his mother’s abusive boyfriend, his friendship also becomes an anchor. Despite their diverging paths as the years progress, moving between New York, Thailand and Paris. Grappling with creativity, ambition and the commodification of the modern art world, the novel raises many questions about artistic integrity.
The title of the book – ‘counterpose’ in Italian, anda term referring to the asymmetrical stance of the human body – can be interpreted as a metaphor for the characters’ lives. The push and pull over the intervening years provides a fascinating insight into the art world and its difficult not to be engaged by the endearing characters.
To prove how multi-talented Eggers is, the novel includes his own charcoal sketches within the pages, providing a unique visual element. A beautiful and heartwarming story, Contrapposto is the perfect book for the sultry summer heat.
