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Originally Posted by Jyqm
I think I probably would have, too. The book was clearly a labor of love, and something that he thought might finally get him some much-deserved recognition, and I understand that he wanted to know if people would seek out and enjoy the book on their own, because they were drawn to it for some reason, not just because Oprah put her sticker on it.
It's tough (reading in a foreign language, that is), especially with a relatively long novel. Shorter works and novellas can be very exciting to read, though.
I agree, although I have to say I found Underworld to be somewhat lacking. Many of the individual sections were brilliant, but I think in a lot of ways the sum of the parts was greater than the whole, and I got to the end of the book feeling that things simply hadn't been tied together very well, or at all. Which I realize might partly be the point, but still, I think the book could have been a little more cohesive.
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About Oprah: my thoughts exactly. I can see how an attitude like this can seem snobby, but I really don't mind
writers being that way
About Underworld: I agree. I thought too that the lack of cohesion might be exactly the point, but it can be very tiring. Corrections also has an unconventional structure, but it is much more binding and compelling. I have to admit though, that there is a chapter in Underworld, called
Long Tall Sally which might be about one of the best things I 've ever read.
A friend of mine also suggested "White Noise" by DeLillo. Have you perhaps read it?