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A review by aegagrus
The Index of Self-Destructive Acts by Christopher Beha
2.5
As a story about lives and careers and relationships, The Index of Self-Destructive Acts mostly succeeds. Beha's writing is sharp and his narrative voice is versatile. He quite capably creates tension and orchestrates drama. His characters are generally interesting.
The Index is also a more ambitious project, however, and here it is less successful. Beha tries to explore empiricism and belief, but when his characters expound on these themes they become caricatures. Their worldviews are a little too strident and a little too simple and a little too predictable. The ways in which their worldviews are challenged by events are, in turn, a little too neat. As social commentary, The Index also stumbles, largely because its depiction of the political and economic atmosphere of 2009 is not always believable. Redemption is handled somewhat better as a theme, but even here the most interesting moments are not those in which the theme is most directly addressed.
While Beha is to be commended for his ambition, his book is at its best in its least ambitious moments. Fortunately, there are many such moments, where the reader can easily enjoy the book without the clunky philosophical baggage. The Index is a reasonably compelling read in such moments, even if taking a step back and thinking about the book as a whole is generally a cause for dissatisfaction, if not frustration.
The Index is also a more ambitious project, however, and here it is less successful. Beha tries to explore empiricism and belief, but when his characters expound on these themes they become caricatures. Their worldviews are a little too strident and a little too simple and a little too predictable. The ways in which their worldviews are challenged by events are, in turn, a little too neat. As social commentary, The Index also stumbles, largely because its depiction of the political and economic atmosphere of 2009 is not always believable. Redemption is handled somewhat better as a theme, but even here the most interesting moments are not those in which the theme is most directly addressed.
While Beha is to be commended for his ambition, his book is at its best in its least ambitious moments. Fortunately, there are many such moments, where the reader can easily enjoy the book without the clunky philosophical baggage. The Index is a reasonably compelling read in such moments, even if taking a step back and thinking about the book as a whole is generally a cause for dissatisfaction, if not frustration.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content and Mental illness
Moderate: Alcoholism, Car accident, Death, Infidelity, Racism, and Suicide attempt