The Cave, by Jose Saramago

The Cave
Jose Saramago

Two things have prevented me from updating sooner: I have been incredibly busy, and The Cave was something that didn’t sweep me away.

Having read Saramago’s Blindness, I thought I’d try The Cave. Unfortunately, this book did not have the same power on me. It was about 300 pages long, and I felt every single one of them. If the book were 100 pages less, I think I’d like it better.

In this allegory, Saramago uses Plato’s Allegory of the Cave to express the idea that we must not be passive viewers of our world; we must participate in them fully. I’m sure I’m missing some key ideas and oversimplifying things, but the truth of the matter is that I had to skim the last 50 pages of the book in order to keep my sanity.

The book’s main character is Cipriano Algor, an old potter who finds himself out of work. His nemesis is “The Center,” a huge complex that is part mall, part residential area, part everything that is constantly expanding. (Did anyone see the South Park in which Walmart takes over the world? The Center was like that.) When the Center no longer buys his pottery, Algor finds himself without purpose.

It was a good book, but overly philosophical in places. Also, Saramago’s trademark style of no paragraphs, no quotation marks was not as easy to endure in this book, unlike in Blindness.

In a nutshell: An ok book, but read Blindness if you want some good Saramago.

Bibliolatry Scale: 3 out of 6 stars.