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A review by categal
Our Tragic Universe by Scarlett Thomas
3.0
I don't know what Scarlett Thomas calls her style of writing, but after finishing this, I think I'd call it magical metafiction. Meg is trapped in a dead end relationship with Christopher (who sounds like a bag of damp socks forgotten under the bed), and she is making ends meet by writing genre fiction and running writing seminars at the expense of writing her "great novel". Luckily, there are plenty of walks around town and seashore with her dear of a dog B. Part of telling the story is talking about telling the story, and so when a magical element is introduced early on, buckle up, because we are going on the magical mystery tour, complete with a discussion of magical mystery tours.
I love her voice, I love these main characters who are flawed and fumbling, but also endearing and interesting. The cold and asthmatic damp got to me, and the cheating characters too - what's up with that? Why not end the relationship and move onto the next on? Most of the story is spent building up to the story, and so there are many dark nights and damp, chilly dog walks. I'm glad I stayed for the end, but if it wasn't summer by me, I might not have made it.
I love her voice, I love these main characters who are flawed and fumbling, but also endearing and interesting. The cold and asthmatic damp got to me, and the cheating characters too - what's up with that? Why not end the relationship and move onto the next on? Most of the story is spent building up to the story, and so there are many dark nights and damp, chilly dog walks. I'm glad I stayed for the end, but if it wasn't summer by me, I might not have made it.