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3.61 AVERAGE
3.61 AVERAGE
Well, nice and short. Inventive and smart and not annoyingly so, but I didn’t love it
This is a bizarre little piece of fiction. It’s set entirely during a 20-minute home viewing, involving the current homeowner, the real estate agent, the prospective buyer, and the prospective buyer’s daughter. The narrative is increasingly interrupted by input by The Author about the process of writing the story and decisions she made, making this a curious metafiction. I’m sure it’s not to every taste, but I enjoyed it, especially as I’ll be writing my own new novella in a matter of weeks.
Video review https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-KjIPPKLhKE&feature=youtu.be
I'm done with Nicola Barker
I'm done with Nicola Barker
funny
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
This book had me laughing out loud constantly and reading parts to my partner. He, of course, had no context so there did not see the humour, but I just couldn’t help myself. I’ve never read a book before in which you are made painfully aware that it is a book and the characters, though at the mercy of the author, can make things difficult for the author. Highly recommend if you are looking for a silly, good time that also rather gets you thinking. Loved it!
The first 2/3rds of the book were brilliant, then a bewildering entry was made by a character, (was it a character?) and then the book sort of disappeared. 3.65/5 for tickling me and then confusing the hell out of me.
I mean, I get it, there are questions about the all-knowing author, the colonization of minds, independence of the characters, and about how the outside and the inside are not all what we make it out to be. But All of these were being addressed, I think, without the manic segue into the author's conversation with Gay.
This felt like you were reading a good funny story about internality, and exclusion and suddenly an annoying popup from some gum-on-shoe-activism outfit took over the page and the story became the background.
I guess this means I'm gonna have to read her other books.
I mean, I get it, there are questions about the all-knowing author, the colonization of minds, independence of the characters, and about how the outside and the inside are not all what we make it out to be. But All of these were being addressed, I think, without the manic segue into the author's conversation with Gay.
This felt like you were reading a good funny story about internality, and exclusion and suddenly an annoying popup from some gum-on-shoe-activism outfit took over the page and the story became the background.
I guess this means I'm gonna have to read her other books.
It's hard to describe Nicola Barker's work. Surreal is the pithiest description I suppose. I don't always love her work, but I am always interested in it. This is a novella about a hopeless man called Charles and the twenty minute showing of his house by an estate agent to some women. It's arch and funny and weird and kind of like stumbling into a short volume of the thoughts of Nicola Barker rather than an actual story. I liked some parts of it very much and I found other parts of it frustrating, but it was never boring.
Honestly I am uncertain how to rate this book. I enjoyed reading it, at times I was laughing out loud as a result of the slapstick comedy. I enjoyed the characters especially Charles and Ying Yue. The issue I have about rating this book is that I don't think I really understood it. I enjoyed it and wanted to keep reading it but I cant help feeling that there is a large aspect of this novella that I just don't get.
Not so bad that the book is completely unreadable. But certainly not entertaining at any level. Not sure what the underlying plot even was. Writing a plot summary for this book would be a fiasco. And with the author intentionally breaking the 4th wall at the end and commenting that this book is plotless and trite, I was just left thinking...uh...spot on. I expect more from Nicola Barker.
Is the author a GOD?
Or is the author lead by the leash like a DOG?
In Nicola Barker’s 13th novel (or novella??) this question does occur. In typical Nicola Barker fashion, she tries to explain it. For fans of Barker’s approach to anything, be it politics, dystopias or spiritualism you know it’s going to be playful with a slightly weird edge to it.
Charles is a hoarder, loves self help videos, makes teddy bears and is set in his ways although due to his self help addiction, is trying to improve himself but can’t seem to . He is also trying to sell his house. Avigail, his real estate agent is trying her hardest to sell the house but Charles keeps driving potential buyers away. Wang Shu and Ying Yue are the latest potential buyers. Avigail has 20 minutes to sell the house. Oh and there’s a hairless cat called Morpheus with a cheese intolerance issue. In typical Nicola Barker fashion there are references to books. Usually this is done in an offhand way, which is fun.
Within this plot, Barker weaves in issues regarding, Internet culture, self help gurus, race relations and cultural clashes. The most important part though happens towards the end of the novel when the fourth wall is broken down and Barker herself appears and tells the reader about how she can mold and shape and change the course of the novel in any way possible.
And she does. Which leads to the title.
At one point in the book, Charles is repeating the mantra of his favorite guru I am Sovereign. The real sovereign, however, is the author, who can change anything according to her (in this case) whims.
With every kingdom though, there’s always the rebel and in the last half of I am Sovereign an abandoned character makes repeat appearances in the narrative, until Nicola tries to sort him out. As powerful as the author may be, sometimes the creations can get the upper hand.
The thing I enjoyed the most about I am Sovereign is that it is so much fun to read. Barker tackles some serious topics, authorship itself being a weighty one. Due to the approach and the absurd scenes, I just couldn’t stop laughing. Reading this book made me think, reflect and then laugh out loud and this cycle continued to the last page.
I am Sovereign is proof that experimental literature does not have to be tough going. I’m not saying that this is light reading but there’s a certain type of breeziness which whisks the reader along with the story.
Barker does receive the accolade genius quite often but it is not hyperbole. When an author manages to take a heavy topic and make it funny with a childlike abandon then it does require a lot of brainwork. At the moment Barker is the sovereign of experimental literature.
Or is the author lead by the leash like a DOG?
In Nicola Barker’s 13th novel (or novella??) this question does occur. In typical Nicola Barker fashion, she tries to explain it. For fans of Barker’s approach to anything, be it politics, dystopias or spiritualism you know it’s going to be playful with a slightly weird edge to it.
Charles is a hoarder, loves self help videos, makes teddy bears and is set in his ways although due to his self help addiction, is trying to improve himself but can’t seem to . He is also trying to sell his house. Avigail, his real estate agent is trying her hardest to sell the house but Charles keeps driving potential buyers away. Wang Shu and Ying Yue are the latest potential buyers. Avigail has 20 minutes to sell the house. Oh and there’s a hairless cat called Morpheus with a cheese intolerance issue. In typical Nicola Barker fashion there are references to books. Usually this is done in an offhand way, which is fun.
Within this plot, Barker weaves in issues regarding, Internet culture, self help gurus, race relations and cultural clashes. The most important part though happens towards the end of the novel when the fourth wall is broken down and Barker herself appears and tells the reader about how she can mold and shape and change the course of the novel in any way possible.
And she does. Which leads to the title.
At one point in the book, Charles is repeating the mantra of his favorite guru I am Sovereign. The real sovereign, however, is the author, who can change anything according to her (in this case) whims.
With every kingdom though, there’s always the rebel and in the last half of I am Sovereign an abandoned character makes repeat appearances in the narrative, until Nicola tries to sort him out. As powerful as the author may be, sometimes the creations can get the upper hand.
The thing I enjoyed the most about I am Sovereign is that it is so much fun to read. Barker tackles some serious topics, authorship itself being a weighty one. Due to the approach and the absurd scenes, I just couldn’t stop laughing. Reading this book made me think, reflect and then laugh out loud and this cycle continued to the last page.
I am Sovereign is proof that experimental literature does not have to be tough going. I’m not saying that this is light reading but there’s a certain type of breeziness which whisks the reader along with the story.
Barker does receive the accolade genius quite often but it is not hyperbole. When an author manages to take a heavy topic and make it funny with a childlike abandon then it does require a lot of brainwork. At the moment Barker is the sovereign of experimental literature.