Laith
I'll keep this short. I don't think you're supposed to like this book, and if you find yourself relating to any of its characters, especially if you're in your 30s, that should be a wake-up call. Time to move to Alaska and start a new life.
Reading this book is like anesthetizing yourself, like peering into Nietzsche's abyss, it erodes you. I'd say that I hated it completely, but I deeply appreciate the craft and quality. It takes real skill to make something so souless, the fact that I couldn't put it down until its pointless conclusion is another point in its favor.
Apparently, this resonated with 80s kids- it was a bestseller and the beach read of 1985, its cover peeking out from the BOGG bag of the chicest of the chic (maybe they didn't have BOGG bags back then). I find that illustration to be a perfect encapsulation of what the book is, it's a time capsule - something from the malformed youth for the malformed youth.
It does exactly what it was intended to do- a total commitment to concept, and I like the book for that artistic commitment, I just didn't like its actual substance.
I'll keep this short. I don't think you're supposed to like this book, and if you find yourself relating to any of its characters, especially if you're in your 30s, that should be a wake-up call. Time to move to Alaska and start a new life.
Reading this book is like anesthetizing yourself, like peering into Nietzsche's abyss, it erodes you. I'd say that I hated it completely, but I deeply appreciate the craft and quality. It takes real skill to make something so souless, the fact that I couldn't put it down until its pointless conclusion is another point in its favor.
Apparently, this resonated with 80s kids- it was a bestseller and the beach read of 1985, its cover peeking out from the BOGG bag of the chicest of the chic (maybe they didn't have BOGG bags back then). I find that illustration to be a perfect encapsulation of what the book is, it's a time capsule - something from the malformed youth for the malformed youth.
It does exactly what it was intended to do- a total commitment to concept, and I like the book for that artistic commitment, I just didn't like its actual substance.