Have you ever read a novel so complicated, with so many characters that you needed a flow chart to make it through the story? The first time this happened for me was years ago when I was in a book club in my neighborhood. I don't remember the title of the book, but it took place on one street and involved five or six families. I also don't remember the plot anymore, but I do remember that I finally made a map of the street, locating all the families involved. Another group member told me she had had to do the same.
I recently bought a book titled "Lost on a Page" because it sounded interesting. It's a fantasy novel and a novel within a novel; the author is David E. Sharp. The main character, Joe Slade, is a detective of the old-school, hard-boiled type. We alternate between Joe's world and adventures and correspondence between the (fictional) author and the editor of the books. I got to page 42 before I decided I needed a guide to navigate through the novel. So far I have three categories: "fictional characters," "real characters," and undetermined characters. "Real" meaning within this novel that exists in my real life in 2025. That includes the "author" and "editor" of Joe's books. Joe has a world that is real to him, where he solves crimes and mysteries. But he somehow finds himself in a book world, a library of sorts, where it looks like characters from different genres interact.
I like unusual novels, as well as more normal novels, so I'm up for the challenge of navigating this story.
