I just started reading _The Land of Green Plums_ by Herta Müller. I found this book on the "Staff Picks" shelf at the Fletcher Free Library. I have never heard of this author, but the synopsis on the inside front cover sounded interesting. It sounds like a deep story of loss and failure, a bit like _1984_, and I was in the mood for a depressing book like that.
However, I've started many books that had interesting plots but boring writing. The writing in this book is almost poetic. Literal and symbolic language is mixed, as is the present and memories. For example, the author writes, "The grass stands tall inside our heads. When we speak it gets mowed." At times I'm not sure if the action described is actually happening or only representing feelings. I'm curious to see if the author sustains this style through the entire book, or if it's only a form of prelude.
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Slow going. Certain characters are beginning to emerge, and some plot events have happened, but they are still alluded to, rather than narrated. It almost feels like drops of paint are falling on a canvas, and eventually they form an image. Sometimes I have to reread pages before they sink in.
ReplyDeleteWhy do I like it? I think I keep reading because I want to understand this way of seeing the world. The way things are described and the symbols that are used don't match my way of thinking, so this is a chance to experience the world in a new way, to see from someone else's perspective. Also, it's a bit of a puzzle keeping straight what is memory and what is present day. I like books that don't give too much away.
I'm about a third of the way through the book, and I'm going to abandon it. It's going too slowly to keep my interest. But it makes me wonder: does the writing reveal so little because the characters can reveal so little? The book is about people living in a dictatorship where everything is seen and nobody can be trusted. The main characters are resisting the dictatorship, and so they have to be very careful about what they say and do. I think the writing style mimics this fear, and refers to large events, such as the police searching someone's home, with veiled references. The author will include signs that someone's suitcase has been searched in a paragraph that describes the falling leaves in winter, much the same way somebody might drop hints of a secret plan amid idle chatter. While this style is interesting, it's not interesting enough to keep me engaged.
ReplyDeleteIs your favorite genre to read poetry? What is your favorite part in the book? Do you like the authors style of writing?
ReplyDeleteSabrina,
ReplyDeleteI do enjoy reading poetry, but for leisure reading, fiction is my favorite genre. I like stories that read easily and don't require too much thinking. Sometimes I like to read a poem and ponder it, but if I want to pass the time, I prefer an exciting story. For example, the book I'm reading now, _What Is the What_, is about people suffering under a military dictatorship, being killed, and not trusting anybody. This situation is similar to the situation in _The Land of Green Plums_. However, in _What Is the What_, the writing is much more straightforward, and the action is more exciting.
I did appreciate the author's style at first. I appreciated that it was different and somewhat mysterious. However, it was too difficult to follow. Maybe at another time, if I have more time to sit and read, I will pick it up again.