Scan barcode
A review by scottjbaxter
The Familiar, Volume 1: One Rainy Day in May by Mark Z. Danielewski
4.0
Danielewski's book is not something one should attempt to summarize without a good amount of trepidation. The story has somthing like nine different narrrators, each with their own geographic location, time, font and typography as well as, at least in my opinion, colored tabs in the upper corners of the page to differentiate one from another. Truly difficult to imagine copy editing and typesetting the book. The book is definitely meant to be read in paper, not electronic form. Let me put my thoughts about the book so far in the form of favorite passages that I jotted down while reading.
Astair's "No question: no" didn't stop speculations about the risks inherent when turning to romances, grimoires*, something about a defiant lightbulb, the Bible, the Qur'an, books devoted to computers and game programming, Watchmen, American Psycho, Emily Dickinson (of all things!), even the I Ching made the list (Anwar (much to his dismay) was quoted incessantly: "Dad always says reading is risky business.") p. 257
*grimoires: from wikipedia: A grimoire is a textbook of magic, typically including instructions on how to create magical objects like talismans and amulets; how to perform magic spells; charms and divination; and how to summon or invoke supernatural entities such as angels, spirits, and demons.
There is also a now discontinued Linux distribution called Sorcerer. Instead of using acronyms such as rpm or dpkg, Sorcerer's tool terminolofy was based on magic words. For example, a recipe for downloading, compiling, and installing software is called a spell. The software catalog was called a grimoire.
"What does societal static mean?"
"signage, cellphones, web traffic, YouTube, the modern buzz of electronic alienation." p. 259
***
"You might say these graphics represent, in a way that's instantly quntifiable, the parametrics of code:...
"You lost me Dad."...
"Image subitizes language."
"Subitize?"
"Ah ha! Your word of the day!"...
"Subitize is easy, " Anwar continued. "It means to quantify without counting. So when you see a 5 or a 6 on the side of a dice you don't count the five or six dots individually but know at once the number." p. 346
***
A comic strip [without the drawings]
panel 1: A spoon crossed with a fork is a spork.
panel 2: Our lab has successfully crossed a spork with a spoon.
panel 3: With your funding, we could breed hybrids in proportions corresponding to any binary function.
spoon - - 1/8 - - 1/4 -- 1/2 - - 3/4 -- fork
fork-spoon spectrum
panel 4: "You're toying with powerful forces here."
"We know what we're doing." p. 374
***
There is a Czech writer whose work was extremely political but it was also so extremely convoluted it communicated nothing to anyone except himself and in that way, because he was the one writing it down, offered some personal exculpation for reporting crimes made by the state even if his reports failed to alert anyone to those crimes. I've said what matters, he seems to have shouted, but all that matters he had shouted in an unintelligible way. p. 403
***
No one remembers everything, which I assure you is a blessing. A memory of everything would be a curse [one day Borges.] p. 544
Here Danielewski is referring to Jorge Luis Borges' story "Funes the Memorious" in which, one day Funes falls off a horse and finds that he has perfect memory. Contrary to what one might at first think, perfect memory is a real problem. Funes is incapable of talking in generalizations, summarizing, or even using numbers like most people would.
***
As the old Narcons put it: "There is not space in the universe to the universe. Therein lies the peculiar beauty and sadness of stories: to tell it all without all at all." p. 566 (pages not number in this section of the book.)
***
To be born in a country is not to know a country until you've left your country. This applies to ideas and beliefs p. 610.
***
(In the course of writing her paper) Astair had come across The Lost Horizon Case (out of Kissimmee Florida (the woman in question referred to as K.)). K. had purchased a Powerball ticket with sizable winnings at stake (over $300 million). (when the numbers were announced) K. saw that every number she had picked (according to meticulous reasons and noted omens and signs (from death dates to license plates)) was a match and her life had forever changed (and it had).
(furthermore upon presenting her winning ticket ) K. saw how every winning number she'd read off was echoed by the same winning number announced by lottery officials (and yet her ticket was declared ineligible for the prize). K.'s confusion escalated to aggression until on-hand security (and finally officers (of the peace)) were called upon to remove her from the premises.
In fact it took K. months before she could see (correctly) the numbers on the (losing) ticket (which she still held in her possession (greasy, crumpled, intcat:. intact.:)). Her desire to win (rooted in a neurotic disposition toward denial) had created a hallucination so strong that the numeric order she had summoned (by both reason and whim) imposed its order on every announcement, publication, confirmation pertaining to those actual numbers drawn by the lottery committee.
In fact not even one of K.'s numbers matched the winning numbers. Her victory was entirely (and always (only)) in her mind p.675.
***
Astair's "No question: no" didn't stop speculations about the risks inherent when turning to romances, grimoires*, something about a defiant lightbulb, the Bible, the Qur'an, books devoted to computers and game programming, Watchmen, American Psycho, Emily Dickinson (of all things!), even the I Ching made the list (Anwar (much to his dismay) was quoted incessantly: "Dad always says reading is risky business.") p. 257
*grimoires: from wikipedia: A grimoire is a textbook of magic, typically including instructions on how to create magical objects like talismans and amulets; how to perform magic spells; charms and divination; and how to summon or invoke supernatural entities such as angels, spirits, and demons.
There is also a now discontinued Linux distribution called Sorcerer. Instead of using acronyms such as rpm or dpkg, Sorcerer's tool terminolofy was based on magic words. For example, a recipe for downloading, compiling, and installing software is called a spell. The software catalog was called a grimoire.
"What does societal static mean?"
"signage, cellphones, web traffic, YouTube, the modern buzz of electronic alienation." p. 259
***
"You might say these graphics represent, in a way that's instantly quntifiable, the parametrics of code:...
"You lost me Dad."...
"Image subitizes language."
"Subitize?"
"Ah ha! Your word of the day!"...
"Subitize is easy, " Anwar continued. "It means to quantify without counting. So when you see a 5 or a 6 on the side of a dice you don't count the five or six dots individually but know at once the number." p. 346
***
A comic strip [without the drawings]
panel 1: A spoon crossed with a fork is a spork.
panel 2: Our lab has successfully crossed a spork with a spoon.
panel 3: With your funding, we could breed hybrids in proportions corresponding to any binary function.
spoon - - 1/8 - - 1/4 -- 1/2 - - 3/4 -- fork
fork-spoon spectrum
panel 4: "You're toying with powerful forces here."
"We know what we're doing." p. 374
***
There is a Czech writer whose work was extremely political but it was also so extremely convoluted it communicated nothing to anyone except himself and in that way, because he was the one writing it down, offered some personal exculpation for reporting crimes made by the state even if his reports failed to alert anyone to those crimes. I've said what matters, he seems to have shouted, but all that matters he had shouted in an unintelligible way. p. 403
***
No one remembers everything, which I assure you is a blessing. A memory of everything would be a curse [one day Borges.] p. 544
Here Danielewski is referring to Jorge Luis Borges' story "Funes the Memorious" in which, one day Funes falls off a horse and finds that he has perfect memory. Contrary to what one might at first think, perfect memory is a real problem. Funes is incapable of talking in generalizations, summarizing, or even using numbers like most people would.
***
As the old Narcons put it: "There is not space in the universe to the universe. Therein lies the peculiar beauty and sadness of stories: to tell it all without all at all." p. 566 (pages not number in this section of the book.)
***
To be born in a country is not to know a country until you've left your country. This applies to ideas and beliefs p. 610.
***
(In the course of writing her paper) Astair had come across The Lost Horizon Case (out of Kissimmee Florida (the woman in question referred to as K.)). K. had purchased a Powerball ticket with sizable winnings at stake (over $300 million). (when the numbers were announced) K. saw that every number she had picked (according to meticulous reasons and noted omens and signs (from death dates to license plates)) was a match and her life had forever changed (and it had).
(furthermore upon presenting her winning ticket ) K. saw how every winning number she'd read off was echoed by the same winning number announced by lottery officials (and yet her ticket was declared ineligible for the prize). K.'s confusion escalated to aggression until on-hand security (and finally officers (of the peace)) were called upon to remove her from the premises.
In fact it took K. months before she could see (correctly) the numbers on the (losing) ticket (which she still held in her possession (greasy, crumpled, intcat:. intact.:)). Her desire to win (rooted in a neurotic disposition toward denial) had created a hallucination so strong that the numeric order she had summoned (by both reason and whim) imposed its order on every announcement, publication, confirmation pertaining to those actual numbers drawn by the lottery committee.
In fact not even one of K.'s numbers matched the winning numbers. Her victory was entirely (and always (only)) in her mind p.675.
***