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4.01 AVERAGE
4.01 AVERAGE
Here's a book about which I can understand the fuss. It is clever and witty and will keep you reaching for the dictionary. The way it connects is not trite or forced but rather ingenious.
If I was rating this book on just how successful the project of the novel was, I would rate it 5 stars. The poetry and the interconnected snippets of people's lives; everything worked so well together. But for my own personal enjoyment, it didn't quite reach a 5 star.
It was quite a trip to read an intergenerational story set in 20th century America written in all verse. Rakoff presents a wide array of characters and experiences, ranging from the 5 in the title, to specific moments in American history. His writing kept me on by toes with how the various narrative threads intertwined in unexpected ways. The rhymes are infectious, and the stories are full of wit. It was an enjoyable read.
Coincidentally, I read another intergenerational novel, Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi, directly prior to reading Love, Dishonor, Marry, Die, Cherish, Perish. While I felt like I had sufficient time to sit with every character and generation in Homegoing, I found myself wishing I had more of each character's background and thoughts in this work. Alas, the verse moves quickly in both narrative and rhythm, and the word "whirlwind" comes readily to mind.
Coincidentally, I read another intergenerational novel, Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi, directly prior to reading Love, Dishonor, Marry, Die, Cherish, Perish. While I felt like I had sufficient time to sit with every character and generation in Homegoing, I found myself wishing I had more of each character's background and thoughts in this work. Alas, the verse moves quickly in both narrative and rhythm, and the word "whirlwind" comes readily to mind.
fast-paced
I savored Love...Perish over the course of a month or so, rationing just a few stanzas every night before bed, afraid for it to end, knowing the cold truth that, once it was finished, there would be no more. David Rakoff has left us mortals here to sweat and stagger, taking his place in the pantheon.
But it must be finished, and this muggy August morning, I blew my diet, taking the book with me on the subway. The end was near, and I just couldn't stop reading. I read among the crush of rush-hour commuters and up the stairs into the sunny morning haze. I read while walking along the streets of Dumbo, under the rumble of Manhattan Bridge traffic, and came to the last couplet just as I reached my office door. Tears in my eyes, I steadied myself against the limestone building, took a deep breath, and read it again. Manhattan in the distance, I said goodbye.
But it must be finished, and this muggy August morning, I blew my diet, taking the book with me on the subway. The end was near, and I just couldn't stop reading. I read among the crush of rush-hour commuters and up the stairs into the sunny morning haze. I read while walking along the streets of Dumbo, under the rumble of Manhattan Bridge traffic, and came to the last couplet just as I reached my office door. Tears in my eyes, I steadied myself against the limestone building, took a deep breath, and read it again. Manhattan in the distance, I said goodbye.
This book leaves me with the urge but not the ability to speak and hear every sentence in rhyming couplets (not as frustrating as it sounds). Some of it is beautiful, some cynical, most blunt, and all piercing. On the poetry/novel continuum, I'd argue that it falls smartly in between, but with a heavy slant toward "collection of short stories."
I never even met David Rakoff and sometimes out of the blue I still feel really sad that he died. TOO SOON :'(
Anyway, I'm not a devotee of poetry by any means, and there are few circumstances under which I'd pick up a novel written entirely in rhyming couplets. But "David Rakoff's last book" is one of those circumstances, and I loved it. A bit of this was in the Frenemies episode of This American Life ( http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/389/frenemies )--the Scorpion and the Tortois story, which I loved at the time. And thanks to TAL, I was able to hear this whole book in my head in David Rakoff's voice.
This is a series of poetic interludes about different characters whose lives are linked. So, for example, Nathan's story (The Scorpion and the Tortoise wedding toast) is preceded by Susan's story (his ex-girlfriend) and followed by Joshua's (his ex-best friend, now married to his ex-girlfriend). But some of the links are more distant, and I almost cried when I realized at the end how they all relate. I'm almost crying now. Dammit!
Anyway, this is all very Rakoffian--hilarious and humane. He's very insightful, which makes for good humor about people's quirks & foibles, but ultimately he's sympathetic toward all these characters, which means the reader is too. Actually okay, the back cover blurb says "Rakoff's insistence on beauty and the necessity of kindness in a selfish world raises the novel far above mere satire," and I'll co-sign that.
This was a fairly short & fast read, but it packed a huge emotional punch. (Also it's short enough that the rhyming couplets never felt gimmicky to me.)
Oh also there are illustrations by Seth (apparently he's a one name only artist? Which I didn't think you could be if your name was Seth, but this guy's going for it), which I liked and thought looked kind of familiar, and then I got to the About the author/illustrator section and realized he's doing the art for the new Lemony Snicket books. Cool!
Anyway, I'm not a devotee of poetry by any means, and there are few circumstances under which I'd pick up a novel written entirely in rhyming couplets. But "David Rakoff's last book" is one of those circumstances, and I loved it. A bit of this was in the Frenemies episode of This American Life ( http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/389/frenemies )--the Scorpion and the Tortois story, which I loved at the time. And thanks to TAL, I was able to hear this whole book in my head in David Rakoff's voice.
This is a series of poetic interludes about different characters whose lives are linked. So, for example, Nathan's story (The Scorpion and the Tortoise wedding toast) is preceded by Susan's story (his ex-girlfriend) and followed by Joshua's (his ex-best friend, now married to his ex-girlfriend). But some of the links are more distant, and I almost cried when I realized at the end how they all relate. I'm almost crying now. Dammit!
Anyway, this is all very Rakoffian--hilarious and humane. He's very insightful, which makes for good humor about people's quirks & foibles, but ultimately he's sympathetic toward all these characters, which means the reader is too. Actually okay, the back cover blurb says "Rakoff's insistence on beauty and the necessity of kindness in a selfish world raises the novel far above mere satire," and I'll co-sign that.
This was a fairly short & fast read, but it packed a huge emotional punch. (Also it's short enough that the rhyming couplets never felt gimmicky to me.)
Oh also there are illustrations by Seth (apparently he's a one name only artist? Which I didn't think you could be if your name was Seth, but this guy's going for it), which I liked and thought looked kind of familiar, and then I got to the About the author/illustrator section and realized he's doing the art for the new Lemony Snicket books. Cool!
This was so good! I have never been much into poetry, but this was just enthralling. Listen to the audio book if possible, Rakoff was just a sublime reader.