The cat shat on the mat!
Sometimes I get enamoured of a novel's premise and love it so much that all the (obvious) problems with it get suppressed and/or ignored. Then you wake up in the morning and that sickly wave of shame just washes right over you. Did that ever happen to you?
This book made me feel like "WTF". I don't understand how anyone could miss its repetition, incredible lack of imagery, feebleness and awfully stereotypical and dull writing. It made me cringe. I went in expecting something enjoyably pulpy, not great literature, but this just insults my meager intelligence. The book's basic idea is a carbon copy of several of Phil Dick's novels. Better to read Günter Grass translated into English but with the verbs still at the end German style...
But what of the kind that wins a literary prize, sells thousands and readers think it's good because the story keeps them hooked. The best reading group I went to was run by a retired university professor who was able to reveal the trite and formulaic in many an award winning Booker novel. Our eyes were opened and when read against truly good works we saw what he meant. Book reviews used to help the reader to judge a good book but now they all seem to be written by authors with the same publisher and so are usually glowing summaries of the story (or by your run-of-the-mill book reviewers). Critical analysis no longer comes into it, the aim is to sell as many books as possible, be it rubbish or not.
Good writing is one of those things that's hard to describe, but you know it when you see it. I see it as well wrought words, with qualities like comprehension, clarity and impact, elegance, taste and understatement. The content of good writing can be in itself absurd or rubbish. 98% of 'bad' writing can be salvaged by a crash course in A-level language. Some people I consider to be "bad writers" have made a fortune. What do I know?
Done the horseshoe many times (I know; I'm a pretentious mugwump...). I enjoy the whole walk. I’m not sure I would bother slogging up if it was just for the view from the top even if the view up there could be worth viewing.
