Bear v. SharkChris Bachelder
Reading Bear v. Shark, the latest title in my reading resolution, was quite an interesting experience. I started by hating the novel, then began to respect it, and finally finished by, if not loving it, then at least really enjoying it. My hat's off to ye, Mr. Bachelder.
In Bear v. Shark, Bachelder presents a nightmare that is frighteningly alien and simultaneously all too familiar. Because I'm short on time (and about 10 reviews behind), please allow Amazon to provide the summary. Please don't hate me.
The chapters are short, some less than a page, and many chapters feature snippets of commercials, websites, talk-show programs, etc, instead of actually furthering the plot. At times such chapters felt a little gimmicky, especially at the beginning, but as the novel progressed, I came to enjoy the diversions and relished the satire.
Unfortunately I'm prevented from writing a better write-up of Bear v. Shark because too much time has passed since my reading of the book. However, it speaks well for the book that my admiration for it hasn't diminished since I've finished it, as has happened with some other books I've read. So please excuse the shitty review, but believe me when I say that Bear v. Shark was worth the read.
In a nutshell: Ultimately, Bear v. Shark was a fast read that was far from perfect, but that provided some snarky good fun. My money's on the shark, by the way, although something tells me that to make such a wager is to miss the point. Oh well. Sharks for the win.
Bibliolatry Scale: 4 out of 6 stars
In Bear v. Shark, Bachelder presents a nightmare that is frighteningly alien and simultaneously all too familiar. Because I'm short on time (and about 10 reviews behind), please allow Amazon to provide the summary. Please don't hate me.
Reading like Don DeLillo on acid, Bachelder's brilliant, bizarre debut is a futuristic one-joke novel about a whimsical confrontation between two unlikely predators. The premise is simple: "Bear v. Shark" is a monster pay-per-view event staged in Las Vegas in which a bear and a shark fight it out in a tank of water deep enough for the shark to maneuver efficiently, but shallow enough to give the bear an even chance to hold its own. Most of the novel consists of Bachelder examining the event via an acidic, over-the-top running commentary and skewering American culture and the consumer-driven media overload that dominates modern life. The plot, such as it is, covers the cross-country journey of the Normans, a numbed-out, statistically average family who acquire tickets to the show when one of the two sons wins a promotional essay contest about the significance of the event.
The chapters are short, some less than a page, and many chapters feature snippets of commercials, websites, talk-show programs, etc, instead of actually furthering the plot. At times such chapters felt a little gimmicky, especially at the beginning, but as the novel progressed, I came to enjoy the diversions and relished the satire. Unfortunately I'm prevented from writing a better write-up of Bear v. Shark because too much time has passed since my reading of the book. However, it speaks well for the book that my admiration for it hasn't diminished since I've finished it, as has happened with some other books I've read. So please excuse the shitty review, but believe me when I say that Bear v. Shark was worth the read.
In a nutshell: Ultimately, Bear v. Shark was a fast read that was far from perfect, but that provided some snarky good fun. My money's on the shark, by the way, although something tells me that to make such a wager is to miss the point. Oh well. Sharks for the win.
Bibliolatry Scale: 4 out of 6 stars
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