Monday, February 4, 2008

Sick of The Plague

How long has it been since I’ve written anything? I’m afraid to look. I’ve not been inspired lately.

UNTIL NOW.

No, actually I’m lying. I’m not really inspired now either. This is a guilt motivated post. I’m here. I exist. This blog hasn’t died. It’s in hibernation waiting for ideas to percolate.

The Nonbelieving Literati book choice, The Plague, couldn’t get me going. I found it dull. I had hoped for some good post-apocalypse, Lucifer’s Hammer, kind of excitement, which is what perhaps set my expectations on the wrong path. The death in the book was too removed. Body counts listed in the paper told of the rising crisis, but it made it easy for me and the characters to ignore it and wonder when things would get back to normal.

The reporter trapped in the town was supposed to, I guess, give me some sense of urgency. Being cut off from his lover in Paris he’s motivated to try and find a way to circumvent the bureaucracy and be allowed to leave. I felt more that he was driven by a sense of entitlement than any true feeling for his lover.

The doctor goes around his business, exhausted and overworked, but mechanical. He recommends the government do more to handle the situation, but seems to have a fatalistic acceptance when they don’t.

Based on the other Literati reviews, the book does pick up after the point I abandoned it. As The Greenbelt wrote,
This book, to use a cliché, has its picture in the dictionary next to "starts slowly".
And for me, that’s also where it ended. I couldn’t find anyone to care about or connect with. The impression I had of the town was hot, dusty, dull, and industrial. Not a place I’d want to spend time in neither in person nor in my mind.

Had they at least thrown in a zombie or two I could have been excited, but I guess zombies don’t qualify as high literature.

6 comments:

The Exterminator said...

I guess zombies don’t qualify as high literature.

What about Moby Zombie? The Zombie in the Rye? The Adventures of Zombleberry Finn? The Brothers Karazombov? Rezombrance of Things Past?

Thanks for posting this, Eno. I think it's important for potential club members to know that we have a really wide range of opinions.

The Exterminator said...

After rereading your post, I think you casually tossed off a profound insight.

I felt more that he [the reporter] was driven by a sense of entitlement than any true feeling for his lover.

Thinking about this, I've decided that you're right. Rambert can't believe he's subject to the same laws that mere mortals are. And yet, this arrogrance and sense of entitlement make him easy prey for swindlers. It's hard for him to imagine that anyone would even dream of taking advantage of him.

In fact, the abetter of the swindlers, Cottard, flatters the reporter: "You're a journalist. I dare say you'll put in a word for me one day or another." I couldn't determine whether Cottard actually believed that or not.

Thanks for the food for thought, Eno.

The Ridger, FCD said...

You're dead right about Rambert - though he realizes that himself, I think.

I predict that Not the End of the World will be more to your liking, though there aren't any zombies... There is a porn star, though!

Anonymous said...

Ridger said: "There is a porn star, though!"

Alright! I can't wait to get my copy now!

John Evo said...

Eno - good job. Even a post saying "I really tried, but this just sucked - to me", is a valid participation in the NL. Sorry my choice did that to you. :(

On the up side, it DID generate the best overall discussion we've had. I'm really hyped up to see how we follow-up on this with Ridger's choice.

Anonymous said...

Whats this book "Plague" all about? At first I thought it was "Paris" and then I read about deaths and counts and then wondered what paris has to do with it. Probably the flood in Paris might have been a suitable topic for the book.

Wake up EnoNomi, don't read dull novels. Thats the one thats killing your enthusiasm to read something more worthy like "Bourne Ultimatum". Now that novel has lots of dead bodies lying around in pol of blood. Nice...