"I think of novels in architectural terms. You have to enter at the gate, and this gate must be constructed in such a way that the reader has immediate confidence in the strength of the building."
P, I'm reading David Metzenthen's new novel Black Water and thinking just that. All this economical setting up of furniture done in a way that lets the reader inhabit this time and place. Furniture that I fully expect to see smashed into seawrack two-thirds of the way through the novel. Expectation has both the pleasure of anticipation and a creeping fear that good people will suffer. Is this why we read? Mike
I always feel utterly ripped off when I think about the past or the future tha I can't view firsthand, when I think about countries I probably won't see in my lifetime, or think about the fact that i only really get to inhabit one point of view. So I am sure my love of reading and writing comes from trying to exceed these limitations - to walk in someone else's building for a while, to admire the architecture of otherness.
P,
ReplyDeleteI'm reading David Metzenthen's new novel Black Water and thinking just that. All this economical setting up of furniture done in a way that lets the reader inhabit this time and place. Furniture that I fully expect to see smashed into seawrack two-thirds of the way through the novel. Expectation has both the pleasure of anticipation and a creeping fear that good people will suffer. Is this why we read?
Mike
I always feel utterly ripped off when I think about the past or the future tha I can't view firsthand, when I think about countries I probably won't see in my lifetime, or think about the fact that i only really get to inhabit one point of view. So I am sure my love of reading and writing comes from trying to exceed these limitations - to walk in someone else's building for a while, to admire the architecture of otherness.
ReplyDelete