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3.64 AVERAGE
3.64 AVERAGE
Wow. One of the best books I've read this year. Told in the first person, the book is the story of a large animal vet in the northeast. We go with him on his calls and get a peek into the relationships between people and animals, plus his relationship with his wife and three kids. That sounds half boring when I write it, but it so isn't. The characters are all so well written. I cried at least twice while reading the book, and that's pretty unusual for me.
I initially thought I'd tire of the form (paragraphs starting call/action/thoughts on the drive home, etc), but it just works. The writing is so spare and does so much in tiny paragraphs. I'll say it again: wow.
I initially thought I'd tire of the form (paragraphs starting call/action/thoughts on the drive home, etc), but it just works. The writing is so spare and does so much in tiny paragraphs. I'll say it again: wow.
About a vet, his life in New England, and a few odd things happen to him. You have to get used to an odd mannerism of the writing. I liked it.
Good story, creative writing style, and I really loved it. Was a fast read, always good!
A book that's pleasant and quiet without being boring, which is a rarity as far as I can tell.
The book has a structure to it that might turn some people off from the beginning. The narrator is a large animal doctor, and each section works kind of like this:
Call: [explanation of animal ailment]
Action: [explanation of what he did]
Result: [you're smart. you can figure this one out]
But then the narrator deviates from the structure a little bit.
Thoughts On The Ride Home:
What I Heard With The Window Open:
What I Checked For Out The Window:
What The Spaceman Said To Me:
and so on.
It really got me thinking about the difference between a book with structure and a book with a gimmick.
For example, I tried The Interrogative Mood by Padgett Powell, a book in which every sentence is a question. THAT didn't work for me. Honestly, I felt that the structure was SO rigid that it took away from the possibilities of the story. The most entertaining part was the existence of the book as an object, not the text within.
It had points where it was clever, but I don't personally value cleverness in art. Cleverness is a great attribute when it comes to problem-solving and engineering (and therefore can sometimes work in mystery novels), but in art it can be really annoying. If I enjoy a painting, it's likely that I'm getting a feeling from it or placing my own experiences on top of it, and that emotional result is never related to cleverness. Clever jokes are not my favorite, and usually the kind that result in someone SAYING "that's funny" as opposed to actually laughing. A clever poem? That's a tough sell.
So what, then, is the difference between a book with good structure and a book with a gimmick?
I thought about it a lot. Maybe it has something to do with whether the tool is something that is too rigid. If it's too rigid, the story starts conforming and contorting to fit the frame and can never go anywhere unexpected or fun. Maybe it has something to do with the tool being too repetitive. I did notice that several people who enjoyed The Interrogative Case (of which there are many) seemed to have read it in small chunks instead of all at once.
Ultimately, though, the answer I came to is this:
Structure is a gimmick that works.
The book has a structure to it that might turn some people off from the beginning. The narrator is a large animal doctor, and each section works kind of like this:
Call: [explanation of animal ailment]
Action: [explanation of what he did]
Result: [you're smart. you can figure this one out]
But then the narrator deviates from the structure a little bit.
Thoughts On The Ride Home:
What I Heard With The Window Open:
What I Checked For Out The Window:
What The Spaceman Said To Me:
and so on.
It really got me thinking about the difference between a book with structure and a book with a gimmick.
For example, I tried The Interrogative Mood by Padgett Powell, a book in which every sentence is a question. THAT didn't work for me. Honestly, I felt that the structure was SO rigid that it took away from the possibilities of the story. The most entertaining part was the existence of the book as an object, not the text within.
It had points where it was clever, but I don't personally value cleverness in art. Cleverness is a great attribute when it comes to problem-solving and engineering (and therefore can sometimes work in mystery novels), but in art it can be really annoying. If I enjoy a painting, it's likely that I'm getting a feeling from it or placing my own experiences on top of it, and that emotional result is never related to cleverness. Clever jokes are not my favorite, and usually the kind that result in someone SAYING "that's funny" as opposed to actually laughing. A clever poem? That's a tough sell.
So what, then, is the difference between a book with good structure and a book with a gimmick?
I thought about it a lot. Maybe it has something to do with whether the tool is something that is too rigid. If it's too rigid, the story starts conforming and contorting to fit the frame and can never go anywhere unexpected or fun. Maybe it has something to do with the tool being too repetitive. I did notice that several people who enjoyed The Interrogative Case (of which there are many) seemed to have read it in small chunks instead of all at once.
Ultimately, though, the answer I came to is this:
Structure is a gimmick that works.
I'm always drawn to books that are unique in their narrative style, so when my librarian friend showed me the Call/Action/Result etc blocks of narrative in this book I was immediately intrigued. I didn't even care to read the description on the back cover, I just knew I wanted to read this book. (Incidentally, I did read the description on the back after I finished the novel, and it's obviously written by a publisher, not the author, because it too neatly says what the book is "about." The book is more nuanced than the blurb allows.)
If I had read only the blurb and not known about the unique style, I probably would not have the read the book, because I have little direct interest in farms and vets and horses or hunting, which are all included in the narrative. However, I did enjoy the book, because I do like stories about families, honest relationships, struggles, a touch of whimsy (the mother "receiving" signals from the spaceship), some unexpected developments, and a lack of sap.
It's the "lack of sap(piness) that I most appreciated about the book. There's a tragedy and doctors and hospitals, but the book does not dwell on the drama of any of these events, it just goes through the actions with some objectivity and resolve. That is not to say that emotion and struggle are removed. The turmoil is implied and seen through the character's "What I Thought While Driving" moments and the conversations with wife and daughters. Human struggle is felt in a very refreshing way.
The same is true of the characterization of the other family members. Through the few actions and discussions of the wife and daughters and son, they are round characters even if they seem like background characters.
This book is well crafted and original. That alone is recommendation for reading.
If I had read only the blurb and not known about the unique style, I probably would not have the read the book, because I have little direct interest in farms and vets and horses or hunting, which are all included in the narrative. However, I did enjoy the book, because I do like stories about families, honest relationships, struggles, a touch of whimsy (the mother "receiving" signals from the spaceship), some unexpected developments, and a lack of sap.
It's the "lack of sap(piness) that I most appreciated about the book. There's a tragedy and doctors and hospitals, but the book does not dwell on the drama of any of these events, it just goes through the actions with some objectivity and resolve. That is not to say that emotion and struggle are removed. The turmoil is implied and seen through the character's "What I Thought While Driving" moments and the conversations with wife and daughters. Human struggle is felt in a very refreshing way.
The same is true of the characterization of the other family members. Through the few actions and discussions of the wife and daughters and son, they are round characters even if they seem like background characters.
This book is well crafted and original. That alone is recommendation for reading.
Insights in a world that is both familiar and incredibly un-so. Loved the writing style.
Very unusual format, but a terrific story. At first I thought the structure of the book would keep me from connecting with the characters. By the time I was nearly fininshed, I didn't want it to end. Beautiful.
This book was fine. It had some good humor, and I enjoyed the ending. I did not, however, feel compelled to come back to it whenever I put it down, or think about it when I wasn't reading it. It was perfectly good, I just could be fine having not read it, or having read it, either way.
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The Call is an elegantly simple (or simply elegant) little novel. The simple arises out of the structure the author uses to tell her story. Each journal like entry begins with the Call, followed by the Action, the Result, What the kids said when I got home, What my wife cooked for dinner, etc. The elegant develops as each journal entry deepens the characters and the story until you feel like you live in the cozy, creaking house with them.
David Appleton is a large animal vet in rural New England. He gets a call and heads out to help a horse or a cow or a sheep named Alice who lives in a house with Dorothy. With each new case David tells us what the problem was, what actions he took, and the results of those actions. Along the way he gives us reports about his conversations with his customers and his family and as each case is told, so is the story. The straightforward reporting style is deceptive. Each small detail reported tells a little more about David and his family, their home, his customers and his small town. When a tragedy occurs you feel it as deeply as David and his wife Jen because you've come to know these people. And though David continues to report his cases you can feel his pain and desperation with each word.
There are a couple of big events in this book but it's not really about them. It's about these people living these lives day to day. It's about getting to know them one snippet of conversation at a time so that by the end you know what it feels like to live in their house.
David Appleton is a large animal vet in rural New England. He gets a call and heads out to help a horse or a cow or a sheep named Alice who lives in a house with Dorothy. With each new case David tells us what the problem was, what actions he took, and the results of those actions. Along the way he gives us reports about his conversations with his customers and his family and as each case is told, so is the story. The straightforward reporting style is deceptive. Each small detail reported tells a little more about David and his family, their home, his customers and his small town. When a tragedy occurs you feel it as deeply as David and his wife Jen because you've come to know these people. And though David continues to report his cases you can feel his pain and desperation with each word.
There are a couple of big events in this book but it's not really about them. It's about these people living these lives day to day. It's about getting to know them one snippet of conversation at a time so that by the end you know what it feels like to live in their house.