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jennykeery 's review for:
Going Out
by Scarlett Thomas
I am desperately in need of someone to talk to about Scarlett Thomas. Her novels are always about intelligent but dysfunctional twenty-somethings that go on some sort of psuedo-philosophical journey, the writing itself is hit and miss, and the endings always leave me feeling out of sorts and somewhat unsatisfied. And yet I can't stop reading this bloody woman's books!
'Going Out' is about Luke, a twenty-five year old who is allergic to the sun and therefore has never left his room, and his best friend Julie who is very bright but lacks momentum, and is so scared of everything that she is often jealous of Luke's 'safe and comfortable' life. The book is loosely based on 'The Wizard of Oz', as Luke, Julie and friends set off on a surreal journey (in a camper van, with Luke in a homemade tin foil spacesuit) finding courage, brains and heart, and the places they all belong along the way.
There are lots of references to Plato's cave (Luke's perception of the world is based on TV and the view outside of his window, rather than shadows on the wall), explorations of agoraphobia, claustrophobia and more general forms of anxiety, and discussions on the nature and value of freedom. To say that it is interesting is an understatement, but Thomas deploys theories and academia with a scatter-gun effect, touching on a wide range of topics whilst only discussing them superficially. This superficiality jars with the 'deep', intelligent feel that her writing carries and creates a very strange tone that is not helped by how dated this book in particular already feels. It was published in 2002, but 'Going Out' relies on being cutting-edge in its relevance to young people and therefore the in depth descriptions of Luke's dial-up connection, the use of out-dated slang, and the constant name-checking of MTV feel very out of place.
The plot is also filled with deus ex machina e.g. a lottery win that funds the journey, and the characters are all exaggerated stereotypes of young people (all of whom have tragic pasts). And yet, I found neither of these things annoying. In fact, Thomas has created characters that feel real out of these stereotypes, and my favourite parts of the book were Julie and Luke's interactions, which were often heart-warming and always realistic. I haven't come across many truly platonic male/female friendships in fiction, and this relationship is a pleasure to read about, even when they aren't getting on.
I think the main word I would use to describe Thomas' writing is 'frustrating' as I never know how to talk about it, or even how I properly feel about it. I just keep buying more and burning through them and loving them and feeling frustrated and buying more. Someone help!
'Going Out' is about Luke, a twenty-five year old who is allergic to the sun and therefore has never left his room, and his best friend Julie who is very bright but lacks momentum, and is so scared of everything that she is often jealous of Luke's 'safe and comfortable' life. The book is loosely based on 'The Wizard of Oz', as Luke, Julie and friends set off on a surreal journey (in a camper van, with Luke in a homemade tin foil spacesuit) finding courage, brains and heart, and the places they all belong along the way.
There are lots of references to Plato's cave (Luke's perception of the world is based on TV and the view outside of his window, rather than shadows on the wall), explorations of agoraphobia, claustrophobia and more general forms of anxiety, and discussions on the nature and value of freedom. To say that it is interesting is an understatement, but Thomas deploys theories and academia with a scatter-gun effect, touching on a wide range of topics whilst only discussing them superficially. This superficiality jars with the 'deep', intelligent feel that her writing carries and creates a very strange tone that is not helped by how dated this book in particular already feels. It was published in 2002, but 'Going Out' relies on being cutting-edge in its relevance to young people and therefore the in depth descriptions of Luke's dial-up connection, the use of out-dated slang, and the constant name-checking of MTV feel very out of place.
The plot is also filled with deus ex machina e.g. a lottery win that funds the journey, and the characters are all exaggerated stereotypes of young people (all of whom have tragic pasts). And yet, I found neither of these things annoying. In fact, Thomas has created characters that feel real out of these stereotypes, and my favourite parts of the book were Julie and Luke's interactions, which were often heart-warming and always realistic. I haven't come across many truly platonic male/female friendships in fiction, and this relationship is a pleasure to read about, even when they aren't getting on.
I think the main word I would use to describe Thomas' writing is 'frustrating' as I never know how to talk about it, or even how I properly feel about it. I just keep buying more and burning through them and loving them and feeling frustrated and buying more. Someone help!