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A review by mike_morse
Netherland by Joseph O'Neill
2.0
O'Neill's a good writer, and I did laugh out loud several times reading this book, but ultimately, it was disappointing. The book takes place over a 8 year period (or so), but the author tells the story in such a disjointed way, that I almost got seasick from the time and place switches. If I hadn't been listening in the car, I think I would have written down a little time line of years and events, just to keep my bearings. That's bad. Sometimes it seemed we switched place and a couple of years inside a single paragraph. Is he with his wife at this time of the book, or not? The end happens at the beginning, so there's not much suspense about where the story is going.
I think the failure of the book resides with our lack of sympathy for the main character. He's not repulsive, but he's one of these people who let life happen to him. He neither attempts to control his own life, or even to analyze the things that happen to him. Why would you want to read a book about him? How could a person with so little interest in controlling his life be so financially successful? Not all the characters are uninteresting, but why would an author kill off his most interesting and colorful character in the first chapter?
Some reviewers seem to think the book is about 9/11. While I think it's interesting that those events are just now starting to work their way into novels, this book only uses 9/11 as part of the backdrop, and really has nothing to say about the event.
Another Goodreads reviewer said the book is NOT about cricket. I'm not so sure. Could it be irony that the failure of the book echoes the failure of one of the main characters to bring cricket to the American public? If it's not about cricket, what is it about?
I think the failure of the book resides with our lack of sympathy for the main character. He's not repulsive, but he's one of these people who let life happen to him. He neither attempts to control his own life, or even to analyze the things that happen to him. Why would you want to read a book about him? How could a person with so little interest in controlling his life be so financially successful? Not all the characters are uninteresting, but why would an author kill off his most interesting and colorful character in the first chapter?
Some reviewers seem to think the book is about 9/11. While I think it's interesting that those events are just now starting to work their way into novels, this book only uses 9/11 as part of the backdrop, and really has nothing to say about the event.
Another Goodreads reviewer said the book is NOT about cricket. I'm not so sure. Could it be irony that the failure of the book echoes the failure of one of the main characters to bring cricket to the American public? If it's not about cricket, what is it about?