Vladimir Nabokov’s masterpiece Ada or Ardor has been very acclaimed by the critics since its publication in 1969, like Flowers in the Attic, this novel deals with challenging family dynamics. Both novels are presented as family chronicles taking place in not conventional scenarios and narrated with an elegant and simple prose that is both sensual and satiric.
Ada or Ardor takes place in an alternative historical frame in a place called Antiterra, Flowers in the Attic takes place in the known United States but most of the plot takes place in the room and attic of an old estate with peculiar characteristics. Both scenarios accomplish not letting the reader get very strong references of the cultural and historical happenings of the time in order to give more intensity and mystery to the story.
Even though the common subjects, both stories are very different when it comes to the plot and the character’s life experiences, it’s instead in the style of writing where these two works of fiction find more similarities, both novels are written with a very simple yet very deceptive prose that captivates the reader with its sensuality and satiric power.
