Post by Deleted on May 21, 2020 20:53:31 GMT
I bought and read this because it was a Booker prize winner (2007). It's about the death of an Irish woman's brother and the memories associated with him.
And while it's very good, very readable, with nice short chapters and a compelling narrator, it always felt just a little... I dunno... obvious.
Modern books all seem to be like this. Slightly dazed (and somewhat robotic) narrators who 'gaze at the begonias and think about Richard and the summer when the evenings were warm.' It's all a bit by-the-numbers and predictable with an author who talks about the world as though they have a unique perspective that no other person could ever have (they're always bored by sex while their partners are very keen etc). Again, I dunno. It just felt like I've read this already. This is why I generally avoid contemporary novels (I strongly suspect 'Normal People' will be very similar to this which I'm reading next).
The twist, if you can call it that, was another cliche.
Perhaps it was a mistake to read this after reading 'The Leopard.' That book was a sweeping epic with dense, fluid prose and lyrical language with subtle themes exploring the decay of life, the passing of time, and the fragility of the human condition. This, by comparison, hits you over the head.
I dunno. I might need some time to digest it. Very readable though.
And while it's very good, very readable, with nice short chapters and a compelling narrator, it always felt just a little... I dunno... obvious.
Modern books all seem to be like this. Slightly dazed (and somewhat robotic) narrators who 'gaze at the begonias and think about Richard and the summer when the evenings were warm.' It's all a bit by-the-numbers and predictable with an author who talks about the world as though they have a unique perspective that no other person could ever have (they're always bored by sex while their partners are very keen etc). Again, I dunno. It just felt like I've read this already. This is why I generally avoid contemporary novels (I strongly suspect 'Normal People' will be very similar to this which I'm reading next).
The twist, if you can call it that, was another cliche.
Perhaps it was a mistake to read this after reading 'The Leopard.' That book was a sweeping epic with dense, fluid prose and lyrical language with subtle themes exploring the decay of life, the passing of time, and the fragility of the human condition. This, by comparison, hits you over the head.
I dunno. I might need some time to digest it. Very readable though.
