Select language, opens an overlay

Comment

Jan 05, 2015JCLChrisK rated this title 3 out of 5 stars
It lingers, I'll give it that. Even if I have nothing else definite to say about this book, I can say that it is a powerful enough artistic creation that my mind keeps returning to it, mulling it over. Puzzling over it. Because it really is quite the puzzle, and I'm left feeling dissatisfied. What frustrates me is I can't decide if I'm dissatisfied because I didn't read carefully enough figure out the book's point or because the book is ineffective at making its point. I believe I understand the very convoluted, complicated plot and see the themes that are on display, I'm just not quite sure what Dalrymple is trying to say about life and art--and it certainly seems like he's trying to say something, having gone to so much trouble to create such a complex, involved work. What in the story is meant to be taken literally and what metaphorically and allegorically? I'm not sure. What are readers meant to learn about life--and, hopefully, themselves--by reading this? Setting that aside, how does the book do purely as a story meant to entertain and evoke? It certainly evokes. This is a dark and disturbing story, and those elements are conveyed powerfully and effectively. It also invites engagement most effectively, with detailed art worth studying closely. And though there is a logic to it, the most accurate word to describe the plot is surreal. I felt pacing was a real issue. The first almost-half of the book is three apparently unrelated stories with virtually no explanation or exposition, followed by a text-heavy chapter that is all exposition, explaining everything that has come before and connecting it with the craziest fever-dream of a story imaginable. Then a chapter of existential despair, then a non-linear fever-dream chapter that again explains the connecting story without as much text and with a conclusion thrown in. That's followed by a few short epilogues that don't really illuminate things any further. It's quite a puzzle of a book, with many interesting pieces that never quite make a satisfying whole. It's a book meant to be experienced, I think, more than understood. One other comment: Though the majority of the action is focused on young teens, I'm not sure the book is properly Young Adult. The deeper, connecting story is of a 35-year-old man reflecting on his life, and it's from him that most of the book's themes--and it's climactic chapter--emerge. If I were to classify this book, I'd put it in Adult.