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theodarling's review
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
jowithtwoiis's review
Well written but in that snobby, intellectual, 'I'm a serious novel' way that makes me want to hurl dung at the author for being a pretentious gobshite. Pass.
tildahlia's review
4.0
This is a strange and unique book and to be clear, I like strange and unique books. However, it did take me a while to figure out what this book was all about and roughly halfway through I did consider abandoning it because it wasn't quite clicking. But I'm so glad I hung in there, as the second half clarified for me and made it well worth the read. The detached style of the father took some getting used to, a lot of how you come to know the core family is indirect (anecdotes, memories, vignettes) interspersed with the more direct observational writing of the people they meet along the journey (who are very original and well-drawn). It has a lot to say (with few words) about how we view and treat people with disabilities - bring out the best of human warmth and empathy but also cruelty and indifference. Look forward to reading more of Ball's work.
mercapto's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Spoilers below!
This book wasn’t what I initially thought from the synopsis, and it took me a few chapters to adjust my expectations. I had thought it was going to be a somewhat lighthearted (even with the father’s illness) story of father son bonding on a census road trip. What we had instead was poetry, was verse for each letter of the alphabet. Set in an unknown country in unknown towns and unknown time.
This book wasn’t what I initially thought from the synopsis, and it took me a few chapters to adjust my expectations. I had thought it was going to be a somewhat lighthearted (even with the father’s illness) story of father son bonding on a census road trip. What we had instead was poetry, was verse for each letter of the alphabet. Set in an unknown country in unknown towns and unknown time.
It was difficult at times to follow the narrative as it jumped about a lot, and there were many times I checked to see if I missed a page because the next paragraph was so abruptly different.
I felt that the son wasn’t as fleshed out as I’d have liked him to be, but I suppose this was the father’s story. I understand about the illness but I would have liked if they didn’t skip to Z after R - mainly because I really enjoyed the story and wanted more of it! That is my main complaint, that the book was too short to really flesh out properly, that it could have been more in depth. More census stories, more life in it.
That being said, I did really enjoy this book. It was a sweet little thing, and has many concepts to dwell on. I especially loved the train metaphor at the end, what a beautiful description of death.
And of course, weaving the real photos of Abram into the story of the son’s photo board, a beautiful memorial to his brother.
erintowner's review
3.0
Very philosophical and I think quite a bit went over my head. Definitely read the foreword and look at the pictures at the back before reading.
thejejo's review
5.0
Even though I saw the chapters only went from A to S, and was very prepared for the main characters death, I still wept like a baby.
This book was phenomenal.
This book was phenomenal.
hrstarzec's review
4.5
If the two novels of his I've read (this and How to Set a Fire and Why) are any indication, Jesse Ball is not the sort of author to fall into the comforting trap of repeating the same voice over and over again. These two books have been extremely distinct from one another, both melancholy but in different ways. Census is riddled with tangents and seems to eventually grow disinterested with its own conceit (that of visiting one town each chapter, with the towns simply named A to Z in order as they travel), chapters becoming shorter and less focused on the present until it all comes to an abrupt yet expected end, with no attempt along the way to conceal the fact that it's purely an emotional and metaphorical journey.
punkrockingnerd's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Census, in my opinion, is what A Little Life was trying to be, and what the last 2 episodes of Neon Genesis Evangelion actually were.
It's not a book to read for the plot (although it gets tempting every now and then!) and the author fortunately was wise enough to start the book with a clear statement: "This is how the story will end. Despite the title, the census is not what I will pay attention to, so you shouldn't either." The main characters aren't even given NAMES! And yet, you understand them. It takes awhile to get used to the style, but once you do, you understand it.
Personally, I saw myself as the father, trying to keep it together as much as possible, while things continue to spiral out of control, but slowly enough that there's no adrenaline rush, just a quiet exhaustion. And yet, I saw my past self as his son, living by his own sense of logic without a second thought. Sometimes, I even saw myself in some of the people encountered. Truly, it's one of those few works where no one can tell you what it means, you have to find out what it means to you.
Reading this, you feel like you're on a cross-country train, constantly moving towards a known destination, but looking out the window, admiring the brief glimpses of the world that manage to catch your eye.
It's not a book to read for the plot (although it gets tempting every now and then!) and the author fortunately was wise enough to start the book with a clear statement: "This is how the story will end. Despite the title, the census is not what I will pay attention to, so you shouldn't either." The main characters aren't even given NAMES! And yet, you understand them. It takes awhile to get used to the style, but once you do, you understand it.
Personally, I saw myself as the father, trying to keep it together as much as possible, while things continue to spiral out of control, but slowly enough that there's no adrenaline rush, just a quiet exhaustion. And yet, I saw my past self as his son, living by his own sense of logic without a second thought. Sometimes, I even saw myself in some of the people encountered. Truly, it's one of those few works where no one can tell you what it means, you have to find out what it means to you.
Reading this, you feel like you're on a cross-country train, constantly moving towards a known destination, but looking out the window, admiring the brief glimpses of the world that manage to catch your eye.
thebobsphere's review
4.0
Census is what I’d call a light, experimental novel. There’s use of mixed media and a writing style that is concise and slightly anecdotal. I would say that there’s an element of Sebald in this particular book, maybe with a bit more heart though.
A widow has learnt that he is dying so as a last move, he decides to sign up as a census taker and go on one last trip with his son before he gets his neighbor to take care of him. In the introduction Ball states that the son is modeled after his brother, who had Downs Syndrome, however in the book it is not mention but I think it is safe to work on the assumption that the son does have the same condition.
Morality is the main theme of Census. The main protagonists visit U.S. cities in alphabetical order, thus chapter one is A chapter 2 is B. Each city has someone who reminds the unnamed narrator of the fact that he will die soon. Between these meditations, there are sections about a book that the narrator’s deceased wife wrote about Cormorants and us readers find out about the narrator’s and wife’s past jobs and lifestyle.
By the time Z arrives, there is a full eulogy about the narrator’s son and the eventual death.
Despite the overly pessimistic tone, Census is a surprisingly zippy read. Also Ball does not hammer in the themes of death, the outcome is a poignant, touching novel. Yet is also one that is playful in outlook and a joy to read. For those who say that post-modernism is just style over substance, I am glad to say that Census balances both with panache.
A widow has learnt that he is dying so as a last move, he decides to sign up as a census taker and go on one last trip with his son before he gets his neighbor to take care of him. In the introduction Ball states that the son is modeled after his brother, who had Downs Syndrome, however in the book it is not mention but I think it is safe to work on the assumption that the son does have the same condition.
Morality is the main theme of Census. The main protagonists visit U.S. cities in alphabetical order, thus chapter one is A chapter 2 is B. Each city has someone who reminds the unnamed narrator of the fact that he will die soon. Between these meditations, there are sections about a book that the narrator’s deceased wife wrote about Cormorants and us readers find out about the narrator’s and wife’s past jobs and lifestyle.
By the time Z arrives, there is a full eulogy about the narrator’s son and the eventual death.
Despite the overly pessimistic tone, Census is a surprisingly zippy read. Also Ball does not hammer in the themes of death, the outcome is a poignant, touching novel. Yet is also one that is playful in outlook and a joy to read. For those who say that post-modernism is just style over substance, I am glad to say that Census balances both with panache.
chillcox15's review against another edition
4.0
Much has been made in the past five years of Jesse Ball as one of American Literature's foremost experimentalists, which I don't completely buy. Ball is a good writer, to be sure, but he isn't an experimentalist so much as a writer with an astute sense of defamiliarization, which he utilizes to write... actually interesting books? Sure, not every one of his novels has hit with me, and I suppose that's how you could consider him an experimentalist: he's not writing the same thing every time, and one of his books might work for you while another does not. This is only taking into account his mass-consumed novels, mind you, and not his more obscure nonfiction work. Ball's last two novels, How to Set a Fire and Why and now Census, however, are much more concerned with capturing human difficulties and creating accessible emotional apparatuses than your standard experimental text usually would be. Census, I admit, hits closer to home for me than the usual reader, considering my uncle with Down's Syndrome, and what Ball creates here is miraculous. He renders the balance that you have to strike as a relative/caretaker of someone with this particular developmental difference quite well, and he doesn't overdo it with the dystopian world he plops this relationship down into. What could have turned precious is instead uniquely observed on every page: Ball shows in Census how skilled he is at seeing how people are.