Having recieved quite the emotional slap today, this seems like a vaguely symbolic way to start my blog. I wonder what will happen when I read The Volcano Lover?
For
three-quarters of 'The Slap' I squirmed in the company of its characters. However realistic, their psychological preoccupations
were often small, narcissistic and repetitive, particularly the men who – aside
from the teenage boy Ritchie – were especially crude, cruel and selfish. Perhaps Tsiolkas writes very truthfully about
hetero sex from a certain type of male perspective but the frequency of their nose-wrinkle worthy fantasies and encounters had the effect of confirming my queerness
like watching Shayne McCutcheon a-lean upon a doorway in pretty much every episode of the L Word. Leeeeean away lady....
Anyway, putting my personal squirms and proclivities aside, this is a good
book. It is good for precisely the
reasons it is at time unenjoyable or monotonous – it is very real. I
recognised people that I knew and moments I have lived. When things happen (as opposed to when the
characters are in rumination mode) then the book is quite gripping.
Initially
the ‘shifting perspectives’ method of storytelling is very interesting because
there is the potential to learn important information about the gaps between a
character’s self perception and how they appear to others. But about halfway
through, the pace starts to drag and I feel like I spent too much time hearing
the not-very-interesting thoughts of characters who do not reveal themselves to
be more likeable or more complex than upon earlier presentation. The exception to
this is the teenage characters who provide some hope for this world. They – unlike the adults around them- seem to
still be capable of genuine affection, love and curiosity and it is their
involvement in the adult drama that provides a dramatic twist and a satisfying
conclusion.
So I think I may adopt a rating system here
and give it a solid 3 feathers. My Grandpa read
it twice, so that is nothing to sneeze at!
Adios fur
jezt my amigas. Watch this space for more book reviews and
mangled Spermlish.
