A review by documentno_is
The Mezzanine by Nicholson Baker

funny informative reflective relaxing slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

I was completely captivated by The Mezzanine, especially since I had never heard of Baker. Structurally, this novel is incredible; a story about an escalator ride that also contains a frame narrative of buying some shoelaces that is really about design and memory. This novel is maybe the strongest case I’ve seen for not killing your darlings, there is hardly a plot or story at all and yet it manages to say so much about the smallest moments. At the line level the novel is incredible- just as likely to produce a full bellied laugh from me as twinkling appreciation- I was enraptured by Baker’s poetic thoughts on objects. This novel included some of the most captivating sentences I’ve had the pleasure of reading about somebody’s surroundings. 

For example- “ I felt myself rise into its shape: my hand turned gold, coronas of stage-struck protein iridescent from my eyelashes; and one hinge of my glasses began to sparkle for attention. “ 

The way that he changed verbs to fit the context of their usage was incredible and in researching him and realizing he’s an erotica writer I think this makes a lot of sense. Stylistically his insistence and interest in footnotes that he describes in detail in the later portion of the book fits well with my acquiring his background of interest in wikipedia as a contributor. Honestly if this novel has a shortcoming its insistence on its forced nostalgia, closed male perspective of the outside word. He has the ability to wax on philosophy gained from Penguin classics but not the forethought to not conflate a cashier being Pakistani or Indian (when he flips between both descriptions of the same cashier ) and I can’t help but be bothered by these assertions. Yet just as often as I was bothered by his limited perspective I would be completely drawn out by the genius of his observations in other regards. I spent a good portion of my day laughing over his list of the amount of times he thought about specific topics. Honestly, in reference to its better parts this book reminded me a lot of the user experience bible- The Design of Everyday Things and did a much better job at conveying the memories and essential functions of small every day objects. I initially sought out this novel due to its premise of happening within a single elevator ride and feel that I learned a lot about how to use and crunch periods of time within a narrative for your purpose. In the same vein I wonder if those who read to examine the craft of writing would get more out of this than those who read for the inherent compelling nature of storytelling, unless they had some particular nostalgia for the past and the changing nature of household objects.