It’s
been a while since I read a book with the theme of existential crisis. The last
one was the famed one by Beckett, ‘Waiting for Godot.’ It took me longer to
finish this one, because this is one of those books that inevitably makes one
slow down and think, after reading every odd page.
NARRATION
The
first thing one notices while reading the novel is the narrative style. The
narrator talks to the reader, as if he is telling a story and keeps the reader
involved throughout the book. The second thing is how unconventional the whole
set up is, which intermingles with the existentialist theme. Also, it is mostly
in flashback, going back to years ago, 17 years to be precise.
Another
unique feature is how the narrator is able to separate himself from Todd
Andrews, the protagonist, although both are one and the same person. And he
starts off by telling us exactly what we can expect out of his style of
narration. It’s as if he defies the reader to read, despite the lack of frills
such as starting the story from the middle, like other authors do, to keep up
the suspense. However, he does throw in the hook, when he mentions an important
day.
There
are spoilers right at the beginning, when Todd Andrews tells us that on a
particular day, he decided to commit suicide. And we know that it failed
because he lived to tell us the tale. However, we still want to know how he
went about carrying out his act and how he managed to fail.
However,
he fails to retain our interest for long periods of time, because in some
places the lines go on and on without anything much happening. And just when
one is about to doze off completely there is some redemption, with a new twist
thrown in. The first one is the suicide, of course. The next one is the illicit
relationship with his best friend’s wife. Barth has the knack of introducing
the twists in the plot, in a casual manner, so much so, that one may miss it if
one deems to pay less attention. And then, the narrator digresses regularly from
the main tale, to fill in the gaps introduced within the old one.
Since
the stream of consciousness narration is presented in reverse form, it is
tedious for readers to keep going forward and backward along with the whims of
the narrator. The digressions are too long, too frequent and too detailed at
times, which makes readers lose sight of the main narrative.
CHARACTERS
The
events are unveiled one by one, that finally lead up to the D-day he mentions
at the beginning. While doing so, a number of interesting characters are introduced,
each of them could be a psychiatrist’s delight. Each of the characters come
with their own psychological burdens, some of which are unburdened over Todd’s
existing ones. All of this is juxtaposed with existentialist crisis that Todd
suffers from.
Each of
the characters contribute something powerful to Todd’s life. His coitus with
Betty that leads to a near fatal attack much later in his life is dramatic. The
ménage a trois, with Macks so to speak, wherein the paternity of Jane
Mack’s child remains a mystery, is interesting. Harrison Mack is a revelation,
through Todd’s accurate reading of his character. So is Jane Mack, although it
highlights the sly manipulations Todd indulges in, to assuage her contradictory
feelings.
The
characters of Captain Osborne Jones and Mr. Haecker contribute immensely to the
theme of death that suspends over the whole novel. Todd’s ideology of suicide
overlaps the contrasting attitudes of both the ‘oysters’ that Todd hangs out
with. Todd’s cool analysis of the myriad masks worn by Mr. Haecker, even to the
last detail of his staged suicide, let us into the varied workings of the human
mind. The character of Colonel Henry Morton displays manipulative shades of
human greed.
Todd’s
relationship with his father gives us goosebumps. The lack of communication,
the subsequent talk between father and son that ends in more secrets is
saddening. His suicide, the goriness of its discovery by Todd and its permanent
impact on Todd’s psyche is palpable.
OBSERVATIONS
I was
overjoyed to experience the dramatic dialogues of Shakespeare along with Todd.
However, the reaction of the audience, including Todd, towards the artists is
disappointing to the core.
The
analogy of the Floating opera which allows only portions of the play to be seen
and heard by the audience is intriguing as a comparison to the flow of human
lives. It is an oddly satisfying read in some parts while being highly boring
in some others.
Given
that the protagonist is a lawyer, a reader would be expected to relish some
dramatic courtroom scenes. Instead, the long drawn narrations of events is a
complete let-down.
Overall,
the book is readable, if one has an appetite for the existentialist plus stream
of consciousness genre of writing.
I
rate the novel 2.5 out of 5.
Was
my review useful? Do let me know. Happy reading, Bookworms!
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