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mrwilliams's review against another edition
4.0
Lacey's writing is incredible! The story falls a bit in the middle. Not as fantastic as Lacey's first, but worth the read. A bit of Miranda July.
mondyboy's review against another edition
5.0
While I was reading Catherine Lacey's The Answers I was reminded of the physicalist theory of mind which contends that any mental state can be reduced to the physical. When I studied this back in University the example often mooted was C-fibers "firing" in the brain when a person experienced pain. There are all sorts of well argued reasons to reject physicalism but one of the key objections is that it struggles to take into account qualia, an evocative term that describes our mental state when we experience the world. This includes our sensations and emotions. In Catherine Lacey's new novel, The Answers, a group of researchers - with the assistance of a movie star, a DiCaprio type - believe they can capture and manipulate feelings. In other words all emotions can be reduced to a physical state. I can hear some of you yawning. Fear not. While The Answers never short changes its philosophical underpinnings it also happens to be a heartfelt character piece.
Mary Parsons is our first person protagonist and when we meet her she's struggling with pain (her C-fibres won't stop firing). Although she can barely make ends meet her best friend recommends that she tries out a New Age treatment called PAKing (Pneuma Adaptive Kinesthesia). To Mary's surprise the treatment works. The problem is that its very expensive and with Mary already in debt she'd forced to find a second job. While scouring Craigslist she comes across a cryptic add promising easy cash. This would be the Girlfriend Experiment, a hush hush social experiment run by movie star Kurt Sky where a variety of woman play different relationship roles. Mary has been hired to play Kurt's Maternal Girlfriend and plugged to all sorts of sensors she embarks on a strange and intense journey.
As you can tell there's quite a bit going on in The Answers and there's quite a deal more - especially concerning Mary's childhood - that I haven't mentioned. But Lacey's ability to turn a phrase, her quirky sense of humour and, most important of all, allowing Mary to be such a likeable character means that the novel is always engaging, never confusing. I did worry when, a third of the way through, the narrative shifted from Mary's account to a third person point of view. But Lacey doesn't fumble the pen. This omniscient perspective allows her to drop us into the minds of other characters, while also further exploring the philosophical questions at play. It's no coincidence that in discussing the nature of feelings and emotions the novel places a New Age approach side by side with a technological solution. Lacey is careful not to put her finger on the scales, both PAKing and the Girlfriend Experiment are seen to have their advantages and limitations, but while the novels title might promise answers this a book that provokes discussion worthy of any first year philosophy reading list.
The final section of the novel is as bittersweet and complex and beautiful as anything I've read his year, proving once again that my emotional states, my C-fibres are and always have been susceptible to astonishing writing.
“[Mary] went home wearing the makeup and clothes the GX had supplied—You’ll only wear pieces from our wardrobe from now on, Matheson explained—and she noticed how this made the city move around her in new ways. People held doors open for her everywhere, smiled at her for no particular reason, told her to have a nice day. She felt eyes drift toward her, and the sort of women she’d felt invisible beside started giving her knowing glances or asking who had made this piece she was wearing. Everything had become a piece, not a dress, a piece. She never knew who had made it, so she just shrugged. This seemed to be impressive—this ignorance—though she didn’t understand why.”
Mary Parsons is our first person protagonist and when we meet her she's struggling with pain (her C-fibres won't stop firing). Although she can barely make ends meet her best friend recommends that she tries out a New Age treatment called PAKing (Pneuma Adaptive Kinesthesia). To Mary's surprise the treatment works. The problem is that its very expensive and with Mary already in debt she'd forced to find a second job. While scouring Craigslist she comes across a cryptic add promising easy cash. This would be the Girlfriend Experiment, a hush hush social experiment run by movie star Kurt Sky where a variety of woman play different relationship roles. Mary has been hired to play Kurt's Maternal Girlfriend and plugged to all sorts of sensors she embarks on a strange and intense journey.
As you can tell there's quite a bit going on in The Answers and there's quite a deal more - especially concerning Mary's childhood - that I haven't mentioned. But Lacey's ability to turn a phrase, her quirky sense of humour and, most important of all, allowing Mary to be such a likeable character means that the novel is always engaging, never confusing. I did worry when, a third of the way through, the narrative shifted from Mary's account to a third person point of view. But Lacey doesn't fumble the pen. This omniscient perspective allows her to drop us into the minds of other characters, while also further exploring the philosophical questions at play. It's no coincidence that in discussing the nature of feelings and emotions the novel places a New Age approach side by side with a technological solution. Lacey is careful not to put her finger on the scales, both PAKing and the Girlfriend Experiment are seen to have their advantages and limitations, but while the novels title might promise answers this a book that provokes discussion worthy of any first year philosophy reading list.
The final section of the novel is as bittersweet and complex and beautiful as anything I've read his year, proving once again that my emotional states, my C-fibres are and always have been susceptible to astonishing writing.
“[Mary] went home wearing the makeup and clothes the GX had supplied—You’ll only wear pieces from our wardrobe from now on, Matheson explained—and she noticed how this made the city move around her in new ways. People held doors open for her everywhere, smiled at her for no particular reason, told her to have a nice day. She felt eyes drift toward her, and the sort of women she’d felt invisible beside started giving her knowing glances or asking who had made this piece she was wearing. Everything had become a piece, not a dress, a piece. She never knew who had made it, so she just shrugged. This seemed to be impressive—this ignorance—though she didn’t understand why.”
lisanreads's review against another edition
4.0
Catherine Lacey's sentences are gorgeous, and reading about the GX is compelling. What could have been pretentious and annoying worked due to her skilled writing. However, I was frustrated by a failure to get to know Catherine. I wanted more about her past and a better understanding of why she was such a blank person. Her lack of effect worked for the GX but left me wanting more.
jessicag216's review against another edition
4.0
Closer to 4.5 I really really loved this book and devoured it pretty quickly. But Im also basically only reading books about disturbed women coping in different ways with living in NYC and this is right up my alley. I think you will either love or hate this book but the prose is undeniable. She's a talent I will continue to read.
alramsthel's review against another edition
3.0
i feel like this could’ve either been fleshed out further, or stripped down to the studs and been a short story. it felt a little scattered to me, but regardless, i love catherine lacey’s style - it scratches such an itch in my brain to read the sentences she constructs. i don’t even mind if this book felt lost solely because i enjoy her writing and existentialism
allysonclark's review against another edition
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
abbydoris's review against another edition
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
sincerelykiwi's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
3.5
Beautiful writing, confusing story. Well it was confusing but questions were answered just not all of them.
kallsie's review against another edition
3.0
I think I enjoyed this... but I'm not entirely sure what exactly this was all about, very strange reading experience.