The Quincunx, lifting the curtains...
The Quincunx is the debut novel of Charles Palliser from 1989. This international bestseller is situated in begin 19th century England (mainly London) and shows many similarities with works of Charles Dickens, some even accuse it of 'pastice.' However, it is only pseudo-Victorian as all narrators are to greater or lesser extend unreliable and also the intricate plot that unfolds over its 1200 pages, leaves various mysteries open (suitably expressed by the book's 'empty center' where some pages from a diary are missing); not all mysteries can satisfactorily be resolved even from the 'subplot.' The author incidentally stated in a new afterword that he has become perfectly happy to have each reader make their own interpretation of the book. Nevertheless, in this writing I'll try to argue for what Palliser really had in mind. [page numbers from Penguin paperback indicate deaths] The novel is heavily structured around the number 5 and its patter...