Review: Quite a rare literary gem
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 04 2, 2013
I have rarely read a book as wonderful as Tomica Scavina's `Kaleidoscope World.' The first page alone can grab you so intensely that you're either left reeling or furiously turning the pages. It's about a young woman named Dahlia Kasper, who retreats to Barcelona (Spain) to live in her long-dead father's old apartment to "find herself." Once there, what was initially planned as a stay of only a few months becomes a rising "orchestra" of magic, mayhem, and ultimately, self-discovery.This is not only a tale about the mystery and wonders of life, but essentially about the nature of reality itself. Scavina so deftly shifts from the psychological or spiritual perspective to the mind-boggling aspects of physics that reading the novel is like an intense rollercoaster ride for the mind and heart. The whole brew is made more intriguing and delightful to read by a crew of colorful characters that while enriching the plot never take away the focus: from Felipe and his jealous girlfriend, to the cello-playing neighbor, to the ghost of that famous physicist.And there is, of course, the intimate strokes of Scavina's writing--she shows, not tells, and the way the author does it reveals her solid grasp of the craft. No wonder this book made it to the short list for the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award 2013. If you liked Markus Suzak's `The Book Thief' and other novels of similar calibre, then you will love Tomica Scavina's `Kaleidoscope World.'