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A review by kentquirk
The Bug by Ellen Ullman
2.0
This novel mostly takes place in 1985, which is around the beginning of my career as a software engineer. The book is not about programming, but it attempts to tell a significant story about a programmer in the context of his personality disorders amid the hunt for a particularly troublesome bug.
Although the writing was good -- there are many well-drawn characters and a few compelling scenes -- I found that the story just didn't sound 'true' to me. Even though my profession has led me to meet many people who have significant personality flaws, none of them have really approached the levels of self-denial that Ullman attributes to Ethan.
This book is an attempt at a tragedy that never really rises above the level of melodrama for me. It did hold me to the end, but I'm not sure I'm very glad that it did.
Although the writing was good -- there are many well-drawn characters and a few compelling scenes -- I found that the story just didn't sound 'true' to me. Even though my profession has led me to meet many people who have significant personality flaws, none of them have really approached the levels of self-denial that Ullman attributes to Ethan.
This book is an attempt at a tragedy that never really rises above the level of melodrama for me. It did hold me to the end, but I'm not sure I'm very glad that it did.