LEAVING VAN GOGH

If there is any artist whose work has captured the imagination of the world over the past 100 years, it’s Vincent van Gogh. In his own time, however, he was somewhat of a strain on the resources of his brother, Theo, an art dealer, and prone to periods of instability. In Carol Wallace’s new novel, LEAVING VAN GOGH, narrated by Luis Moreno, we get a unique look at van Gogh’s life through the eyes of Dr. Gachet, the mental illness expert and art enthusiast who was his companion in his time of madness. Unfortunately, Gachet himself is a clinical and detached main character who by his nature reduces interest in the story, and Moreno’s unemotional narration fails to make either character more engaging. J.L.K. © AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine [Published: AUGUST 2011]