An Outrageous Book Review BY: KIMBERLY R. THORN
The Rabbit Hole Called YouTube
I have recently started down a new rabbit hole. Thanks to Malice Domestic. I have found out that there are influencers
called BookTubers on YouTube and I am fascinated!
A Naked Singularity
This past month I joined one of the BookTubers called Life
on Books. They have a book club (for
a small fee) that reads a different book each month that they all vote on. The popular vote is chosen. They meet online every week to discuss each
session. June’s book was A Naked
Singularity by Sergio De La Pava.
This novel was originally published in 2008, then republished in
2012. It follows Casi, who is 24 years
old, he and his family are Columbian immigrants who resettled in Brooklyn, New
York and he works as a public defender in Manhattan.
All 678 pages of this book take you on a wild ride. I felt like I took a psychedelic drug while I
was reading this book. It seemed to get
wilder and wilder as the story progressed.
All in all, I was SO invested in this book that I couldn’t wait to see
how it ended. I thought surely that the
ending would be just as much of a rush as the whole entire book, at last, I was
sadly disappointed.
ANS-Themes
Suffice it to say, that even though this book was wild, it
had many great themes. The discussions
included themes of good vs evil, what does real justice look like, philosophy
of life, death and everything in between, societal breakdown, mental health,
picking yourself up after you’ve fallen and if anything can go wrong, it will
and astrophysics. If you absolutely love
science and philosophy, then this is the book for you!
Not Exactly My Cuppa Tea
This was not a book that I ordinarily would have looked at
the cover and been like, ‘YES I NEED to read this.” I admit it, this book club is taking me out
of my reading comfort zone. It is
challenging me with much harder books.
Maybe this is why I feel smarter for at the very least having read the
book….. I’m just not sure how! It is
definitely a book that I want to re-read after a break. I’d like to try to read it at a slower pace
so that I can enjoy it more. Really
delve into its themes. While I don’t
love the book, it certainly leaves a lasting impression on the reader. It gives the reader something to think about
long after you read it. There was a
movie that came out in 2021 based on this book.
I did watch the movie and honestly, I loved the movie much better than
the book. I know, normally that isn’t
the case but it is with this one. I
would suggest that if you want to read the book, you should read it before you
watch the movie. The movie is great but
it is very different from the book. I
also think that it will give you a greater sense of what the book is about by
reading first then watching the movie. I
would also like to watch an interview of De La Pava speaking about his debut
novel. I’d guess something was on
YouTube but honestly have not looked yet.
Why Do I Care?
You may ask yourself, this sounds all good and fine, but
what does this book have to do with a mystery or a mystery writer group? I’m so glad you asked this question. The mystery of this book is what is it
about? What does it mean? This book is considered postmodern. I’ve learned that while this movement has its
own set of unique parameters, the most important is that the writer does not
follow the writing rules that most writers follow. The author does not use quotation marks, nor
does he use a different line for each different characters’ dialogue. What you end up with is one huge paragraph
that you have to slow down to read in order to understand who is speaking at
any given moment. Extra care is given to
also tell the difference between a character speaking or just having an
internal thought. Then just when you
think you may have it all figured out, you realize that the action is not
linear. The writer jumps around in the
action so what you are reading is not a big paragraph with no quotation marks,
three people having a conversation where you not only have any clue when each
character is speaking but then the action jumps to something that happened
yesterday in the story. (whoa that was a
lot to not only type but to read too, right?)
Common Characteristics of Postmodern Literature[1]
1)
Metafiction-acknowledges itself, references
itself. Example in movies, a character
speaks directly to the camera
2)
Intertextuality-references other texts
3)
Nonlinear Narratives & Shifting Perspectives-Narratives
and Perspectives shift with no clear indication.
4)
Pastiche-blends with another genre or other
styles
5)
Paradox and Irony
6)
Questioning Authority, Reality and Truth
7)
Maximalism-rather complex and lengthy in nature
8)
No use of correct punctuation, correct spelling,
no three act structure to the story telling, no linear timelines.
9)
Unreliable Narrator[2]
I would amiss to fail to mention that this novel also uses
an enormous amount of hyperrealism.
Google defines ‘hyperrealism in literature as a style of writing that
aims to depict reality with an extreme level of detail and accuracy, often
blurring the line between reality and fiction. It emphasizes precise
descriptions and meticulous attention to everyday life, creating a sense of
heightened reality for the reader’. This
is used throughout the novel to show how outrageous life can be and how inept
our justice system is.
Conclusion
I wish I had known all of this BEFORE I read the book! My advice is to do your research before
reading something new.
[1]Life
on Books “What the Heck is Postmodern Literature. September 1,
www.patreon.com/LifeonBooks.
[2]
Google.
