So far, I don't really like the book. The out of order stories disrupt the book's flow. I can't just fall into the book like I can with many other books because often I have to think or look back on a previous chapter. This is worsened by Egan's writing style. Jennifer Egan changes her writing style every chapter. This is supposed to help her convey the messages she wants to convey from each story. To me though, it feels very forced. The changing writing style further disrupts the book's flow and makes it difficult to connect different chapters.
I also don't like any of the characters that have been introduced so far. Most of the character's are hard to connect with. Sasha is a perfect example of this. She has uncontrollable urges to steal things from people. This problem is extremely uncommon and unrealistic (to me at least), so I have trouble connecting to Sasha. This flaw is also worsened by Egan's writing style. By changing points of view each story, Egan doesn't allow time for the reader to build a rapport with her characters. I hope that my mind will be changed as I read further, though.
I agree with you. I think the author makes too much of an attempt to be original and her style doesn't go with the stories very well. Also many of the stories are uninteresting. The only story that I have liked so far, is the first one.
ReplyDeleteI don't completely agree, I like the book to an extent, but I'd agree that Egan's writing style often does more to hurt than it does to help. Sometimes it's useful but other times it simply gets in the way and isn't effective enough to take the risk and use it.
ReplyDeleteI agree. The more she changes stories the more I get confused. The novel does lack a fluidity needed to be an intriguing story.
ReplyDeleteI can see some of your points. However, I think the stories are completely fluid. Sure, they may change tense, character, and style, but I think that the stories are put together in such a way that they take you from one story and person to the next. They are their own entity, connected through small intricacies in the previous chapters. In Safari, Bennie and Sasha aren't mentioned at all. I ended Safari without a memory of Sasha, and it's something powerful to be completely transformed during the journey of the book. We began with Sasha, and through the journey of the book, we ended with Rolph and Charlie. Sasha and the children have no connection other than the fact that they have a weaving line of acquaintances. I also personally believe that it is too early in the book to really make a definitive statement about anything in the book. Its about the relationships, the histories, and the shared experiences these characters have.
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