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A review by quackthump
Luminarium by Alex Shakar
3.0
This was an impulse read after seeing the awards it had received and more importantly, the two people who were recommending, authors in the McSweeney's crowd, as I think of them: Dave Eggers and Deb Olin Unferth. It sounded interesting and boasted plenty of acclaim, so I spent my 3.99 without further thought.
The book spanned incredibly thoughtful topics of Hinduism, Reiki, capitalism, and post-9/11 trauma/ voyeurism. However, this book could've been tightened up, in my opinion: fewer details on the Hindu deities, maybe nix the whole father-son magician scenarios... there was just a lot jammed in that didn't necessarily add to the overall plot or even to meaningful character development. Shakar's greatest strength was his chapter breaks; at the end of every chapter I had to read the next few lines of the following page to make sure everything was okay. The reviews here on Goodreads are mixed, with those against the book complaining about the book being boring and lengthy. It's definitely not a speed read or plot-driven book, so avoid this if that's what you prefer reading. However, if you'd like to reflect on how humans neurally perceive reality and spiritual energy and/or if you are looking for a New Yorker's tale of 9/11, pick it up.
The book spanned incredibly thoughtful topics of Hinduism, Reiki, capitalism, and post-9/11 trauma/ voyeurism. However, this book could've been tightened up, in my opinion: fewer details on the Hindu deities, maybe nix the whole father-son magician scenarios... there was just a lot jammed in that didn't necessarily add to the overall plot or even to meaningful character development. Shakar's greatest strength was his chapter breaks; at the end of every chapter I had to read the next few lines of the following page to make sure everything was okay. The reviews here on Goodreads are mixed, with those against the book complaining about the book being boring and lengthy. It's definitely not a speed read or plot-driven book, so avoid this if that's what you prefer reading. However, if you'd like to reflect on how humans neurally perceive reality and spiritual energy and/or if you are looking for a New Yorker's tale of 9/11, pick it up.