I finally got around to reading this book which Nancy Pearl reviewed so glowingly for its unusual premise, ie that we all exist as long as someone remembers us in the world -- so the multitudes who die go into this parallel world where they live amongst others who are still remembered by someone, and they work and play pretty much like what they do in the "real" world, and only when the last remaining person who remembers them, however vaguely, has died will they then disappear into the great hereafter. The chapters alternate between this parallel world and the "real" world where a viral epidemic has wiped out pretty much most of the population, except for a few people on an expedition in the Arctic or Antarctic (can't remember which). I found it rather melancholy to read about a world whose people have been wiped out, and the seemingly pointless lives of those in the parallel world. It was quite an engaging read in the first half or so, when the suspense of wondering what happened to the others on the expedition and what would happen to Laura kept the pages turning, then I found myself skimming past the long winded mental perambulations of the parallel world characters.
Monday, January 22, 2007
The Brief History of the Dead - Kevin Brockmeier
I finally got around to reading this book which Nancy Pearl reviewed so glowingly for its unusual premise, ie that we all exist as long as someone remembers us in the world -- so the multitudes who die go into this parallel world where they live amongst others who are still remembered by someone, and they work and play pretty much like what they do in the "real" world, and only when the last remaining person who remembers them, however vaguely, has died will they then disappear into the great hereafter. The chapters alternate between this parallel world and the "real" world where a viral epidemic has wiped out pretty much most of the population, except for a few people on an expedition in the Arctic or Antarctic (can't remember which). I found it rather melancholy to read about a world whose people have been wiped out, and the seemingly pointless lives of those in the parallel world. It was quite an engaging read in the first half or so, when the suspense of wondering what happened to the others on the expedition and what would happen to Laura kept the pages turning, then I found myself skimming past the long winded mental perambulations of the parallel world characters.
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This books premise still haunts me though it has been a year since I read it. I think that what the city of the dead says about memory and nostalgia and how it affects us is quite interesting. There were, of course, a few points in the book where characters were introduced or observed by the protagonist in "real life" only so that they could appear later in the city of the dead. Beyond that, though, I thought the story worked well. Had it been any longer, perhaps not, but I thought the sense of melancholy you mentioned wonderfully laced the novel.
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