The End of Mr. YScarlett Thomas
The End of Mr. Y marks the first of my reading resolution novels for this year. The reason I chose it was simple: its design. The pages are edged in black, and there's a "feel" to the book that grabs one's attention immediately. Plus, the premise sounded intriguing. There you have it.
The End of Mr. Y follows Ariel, a PhD student studying an obscure author whose most famous work (the aforementioned Mr. Y) is cursed. Is the novel truly cursed, or is this just literary myth? Ariel is unlikely to ever find out, since no copies of the book exist. When Ariel unexpectedly comes across The End of Mr. Y in a used bookstore, she spends her last cent to purchase it. Knowing that reading the book will bring the curse upon her head, she does what pretty much any bibliophile would do -- she reads it.
(Speaking of which, would you read a "cursed" book? I have to say that I probably would.)
Ariel is immediately drawn into a world that contradicts all that she has previously known about the nature of reality. Things get weird, and then they get weirder.
At times Thomas more than stretches the limits of my imagination, and towards the end, the plot becomes a bit silly. The first half of the novel was solid, however, so I was a little dismayed to see how some of these elements were tied together at the end.
In a nutshell: The End of Mr. Y was a fascinating read that was both thought-provoking and fast-paced. Were it not for the end, I'd have rated this one a solid four stars.
Bibliolatry Scale: 3.5 out of 6 stars
The End of Mr. Y follows Ariel, a PhD student studying an obscure author whose most famous work (the aforementioned Mr. Y) is cursed. Is the novel truly cursed, or is this just literary myth? Ariel is unlikely to ever find out, since no copies of the book exist. When Ariel unexpectedly comes across The End of Mr. Y in a used bookstore, she spends her last cent to purchase it. Knowing that reading the book will bring the curse upon her head, she does what pretty much any bibliophile would do -- she reads it.
(Speaking of which, would you read a "cursed" book? I have to say that I probably would.)
Ariel is immediately drawn into a world that contradicts all that she has previously known about the nature of reality. Things get weird, and then they get weirder. At times Thomas more than stretches the limits of my imagination, and towards the end, the plot becomes a bit silly. The first half of the novel was solid, however, so I was a little dismayed to see how some of these elements were tied together at the end.
In a nutshell: The End of Mr. Y was a fascinating read that was both thought-provoking and fast-paced. Were it not for the end, I'd have rated this one a solid four stars.
Bibliolatry Scale: 3.5 out of 6 stars
3 comments:
Too right - I'd have to read a 'cursed' book. Even the thought of it tempts me to add 'The End of Mr Y' to my reading list.
Your review leaves me very intrigued by this book - especially the physical description (black edged pages?!) and the premise of a cursed book. However, not sure my "black and white" brain can handle what appears to be the sci-fi aspect of the book (drawn into another world). I will definitely consider it for my book list, though.
I wanted to say thank you for your comments regarding audio books. While I agree with you 100% - I want to hold the book in my hand, physically turn the pages and see the words, I think for the sake of trying to be more productive in 2009 --- I am going to try one more time to listen to an audio book in the car to and from work. I'll let you know how it goes.
Whether I'd read it or not would depend on the premise of the cursed book, I think. I wouldn't curse my life for some dime a dozen type story, but an extremely creative and unique story would definitely pull me in.
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