Wasteland (Block novel)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Wasteland is a novel written by Francesca Lia Block and published in 2003.

The book is about the tragedy of love between family, incest, and the guilt, anger, and suicide of one of the siblings. It switches narratives and persons throughout the book, bouncing between the siblings Marina and Lex, Lex's journal, and Marina's friend West. Through flashbombs of lyrical prose peppered with symbolism and mythological references the reader is given the fragmented story of this relationship, why Lex committed suicide and the tensions that have been surrounding the two since birth.

Because of the themes of incest, child abuse, drinking, and substance abuse, combined with the constant perspective switches, Wasteland is suggested for mature readers. The title comes from the T.S. Eliot poem and if a tying thread of the story, a quote near the end summing up the conclusion aptly.

• [1]
• [2]

This article or section needs sources or references that appear in reliable, third-party publications. Primary sources and sources affiliated with the subject of the article are generally not sufficient for a Wikipedia article. Please include more appropriate citations from reliable sources, or discuss the issue on the talk page. This article has been tagged since June 2007.