L (and things fall apart)

Before you enter Henry's world, know that it doesn't spin on the same axis. When we first meet him, Henry's being humiliated by his philandering wife at their dinner party. Henry finds solace in his unnamed cafe, inherited from his father, his few regular customers (just as odd as him) and his tenant L, who appears one day out of a storm. This is not a linear love story: scenes between L and Henry are dismantled, dissected and replayed. It's the literary equivalent of a snow globe---each time a page is turned, things fall a little differently, but always within the controlled confines of Orti's beautiful descriptions. Those who prefer linear narratives and lots of dialogue will be disappointed. Read this magical tale for beauty, pure and simple. Orti reads at the Khyber, 8pm on Saturday.