I haven't read this book so can't speak for if it is written well.
But in general, from what I can tell making your work deliberately semi-opaque is a common literary technique. Look at all the science fiction and fantasy authors who use made-up words for things that are basically horses or whatever to create a sense of alien-ness. Or authors who use symbolism and allegory or dream-sequences so you never quite know what's literally happening. Have you read anything by Gene Wolfe? I like his stuff but I never have more than half a clue what just happened.
To be honest I tend not to like these techniques, but I've seen them done well. Like any technique they're partly a matter of taste.
(Also I wouldn't classify Agatha Christie the same way, I think that's more an artifact of an earlier time when more people spoke french. Dorothy L Sayers and Charlotte Bronte do it too, really makes me wish I'd studied french rather than german at school :) )
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But in general, from what I can tell making your work deliberately semi-opaque is a common literary technique. Look at all the science fiction and fantasy authors who use made-up words for things that are basically horses or whatever to create a sense of alien-ness. Or authors who use symbolism and allegory or dream-sequences so you never quite know what's literally happening. Have you read anything by Gene Wolfe? I like his stuff but I never have more than half a clue what just happened.
To be honest I tend not to like these techniques, but I've seen them done well. Like any technique they're partly a matter of taste.
(Also I wouldn't classify Agatha Christie the same way, I think that's more an artifact of an earlier time when more people spoke french. Dorothy L Sayers and Charlotte Bronte do it too, really makes me wish I'd studied french rather than german at school :) )