Beatrice and VirgilYann Martel
Well, it's been roughly two weeks since I finished Beatrice and Virgil, Yann Martel's newest novel, and to say I'm perplexed is an understatement. Did I like the book? Hate it? Ambivalate it? Hopefully writing this review will help me solve the mystery.
To begin, a brief overview: Beatrice and Virgil is Martel's way of discussing the Holocaust without *actually* discussing the Holocaust. He argues that of all the great atrocities of the world, only the Holocaust has avoided greater attention in fiction, and once those who have lived through it pass away, we are in danger of forgetting -- unless we tell stories about it. To this end, he has written Beatrice and Virgil, a "story" about the Holocaust that uses animals to represent those who suffered.
Okay, so animals as allegorical figures? Check. Conversational, intimate style? Check. Shocking, gut-wrenching ending? Check. Sounds a lot like Life of Pi, eh? Then why am I so ambivalent?
To start, one must know that Beatrice and Virgil is no Life of Pi. Pi remains one of my favorite novels and has for me a mystical quality that Beatrice and Virgil simply lacks. So, perhaps BAV suffers simply for not being Pi. In that case, Martel was doomed before I even picked up the damn thing, which isn't exactly fair.
But even apart from the obligatory Pi comparisons, Beatrice and Virgil has its problems. In my opinion, using animals as an allegory for the Holocaust was somewhat weak, the Beckettian absurdism unnecessary; worse, some parts were underdeveloped, and some parts OVERdeveloped.
That's not to say I didn't like Beatrice and Virgil: it was a short read, as I read it in a few hours and was relatively moved by the experience. The novel made me think, and I enjoyed Martel's narrative voice even if this work was flawed.
Ultimately, even if some elements were a bit weak, Martel achieves what he sets out to do: he reminds us of the atrocities of the Holocaust (even if the reminder only underscores the fact that the animals' suffering in no way compares to that of those who suffered under the Nazis), and he uses fiction as a means of telling the truth.
In a nutshell: I still don't know. It was...okay-ish?
Bibliolatry Scale: 3.5 out of 6 stars
FTCBS: I was lucky to receive a review copy from the publisher, and, even though I didn't LOVE it...Thanks!
To begin, a brief overview: Beatrice and Virgil is Martel's way of discussing the Holocaust without *actually* discussing the Holocaust. He argues that of all the great atrocities of the world, only the Holocaust has avoided greater attention in fiction, and once those who have lived through it pass away, we are in danger of forgetting -- unless we tell stories about it. To this end, he has written Beatrice and Virgil, a "story" about the Holocaust that uses animals to represent those who suffered.
Okay, so animals as allegorical figures? Check. Conversational, intimate style? Check. Shocking, gut-wrenching ending? Check. Sounds a lot like Life of Pi, eh? Then why am I so ambivalent?
To start, one must know that Beatrice and Virgil is no Life of Pi. Pi remains one of my favorite novels and has for me a mystical quality that Beatrice and Virgil simply lacks. So, perhaps BAV suffers simply for not being Pi. In that case, Martel was doomed before I even picked up the damn thing, which isn't exactly fair.
But even apart from the obligatory Pi comparisons, Beatrice and Virgil has its problems. In my opinion, using animals as an allegory for the Holocaust was somewhat weak, the Beckettian absurdism unnecessary; worse, some parts were underdeveloped, and some parts OVERdeveloped.That's not to say I didn't like Beatrice and Virgil: it was a short read, as I read it in a few hours and was relatively moved by the experience. The novel made me think, and I enjoyed Martel's narrative voice even if this work was flawed.
Ultimately, even if some elements were a bit weak, Martel achieves what he sets out to do: he reminds us of the atrocities of the Holocaust (even if the reminder only underscores the fact that the animals' suffering in no way compares to that of those who suffered under the Nazis), and he uses fiction as a means of telling the truth.
In a nutshell: I still don't know. It was...okay-ish?
Bibliolatry Scale: 3.5 out of 6 stars
FTCBS: I was lucky to receive a review copy from the publisher, and, even though I didn't LOVE it...Thanks!
7 comments:
thanks for the thoughtful review. martel's claim that the holocaust has never been fictionalized isn't even correct so i'm not sure what to make of that. i appreciate your thoughts; i'm going to ask him about the mountains of holocaust fiction for children and how that figures in to his analysis when i see him read this evening.
Marie -
I shouldn't have written that he said the Holocaust has never been fictionalized...that was my exaggeration. He said something along the lines of there being very little actual fiction about the Holocaust.
I edited the post to reflect that idea, although I still think "very little" isn't quite right, either.
Yeah, I agree. I don't think "very little" fiction has been written about the Holocaust. Perhaps that assertion is reflection of the books he's read.
In any case, I received a copy of this as well. I haven't read "Life of Pi" (it's on my TBR list), so I was kind of excited to read this one. But I've read two bad reviews of this in two days so this won't be moving up the queue any time soon.
Great review. I didn't mind the ambivilating at all. ;)
I'm one of a few people who wasn't thrilled with "Life of Pi", making me fairly ambivalent-leaning-towards-meh about possibly reading "Beatrice and Virgil". And more than that, I'm incredibly bothered by the cover - "Life of Pi" is written in the same size font as "Beatrice and Virgil"!
I also disagree with the claim that there isn't much Holocaust fiction. I just finished a book that can certainly fall into the Holocaust category that has numerous fantasy elements and fictionalized manipulations. If that's not fiction, I don't know what is...
Great review. It's difficult writing ambivalent reviews, but I think the reasons for your ambivalence got across quite nicely.
interesting to see what the Pi man is doing these days. Thanks for the review.
Anyone read Fateless? Now that's a different take on the Holocaust... and written by someone who was there which makes it all the more strange.
I read it a month or so ago and I've reviewed it if you want to find out more.
I'll be interested in reading this novel. Will let you know how I feel.
I liked THE LIFE OF PI a lot, but will try to put it aside in my mind and give this novel an unbiased read.
B&N does not publish it until May. Lucky you ;D
Hmm...I received a copy of this book unexpectedly, and after all the mixed reviews...I think I might just wait awhile before giving it a try. I've seen TONS of fiction about the Holocaust, so I don't know where he's getting that from. Sounds like it does give you a lot to think about, though.
--Anna
Diary of an Eccentric
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