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A review by xtinaji
The Hair Carpet Weavers by Andreas Eschbach
4.0
Wanting to understand the absurd concept of this book - carpets made of hair, knotted over the course of a lifetime - is an instant hook that pulls you along the course of the novel. The Hair Carpet Weavers is made up of a series of short stories that interlock with one another, woven together to create a story tapestry that stretches across space and millenia. Andreas Eschbach does an incredible job of showcasing broad trends and beliefs through the lens of particular characters, and each POV is distinct, colorful, and complex. What a masterfully crafted tale that uses its characters and their emotions to elevate the grander plot reveals.
That being said, as someone who likes to have closure with characters, this book spears through them to make way for plot progression. I suppose it is meant to show the passage of time, or even just how human lives are simultaneously so grand up close and so miniscule from afar, but I personally would have had a better emotional payoff from seeing how previously mentioned characters impacted the greater narrative. The most glaring issue is how this criticism applies to the book's female characters and how they, though as emotionally complex as any other character, lack any true agency when they're not tied to male characters. Lamita is the worst example of this,with her entire internal struggles and resolution being tied to men for the sake of executing the plot. There are also some characters that do not foreseeably have any direct impact on the plot or other characters, and are only there to introduce elements of the setting - quite a pity since I ended up being most attached to a few of them.
Nonetheless, what an interesting little book on the futility of work, power, art, life - and how these are all tied together. Eschbach will run circles around you with how answers only lead to more questions, and that the mystery of the hair carpet weavers is resolved in as absurd a manner as its introduction. I am also impressed by what a gorgeous translation this is, and how Eschbach unfurls a space saga and conspiracy in the span of a few hundred pages.
That being said, as someone who likes to have closure with characters, this book spears through them to make way for plot progression. I suppose it is meant to show the passage of time, or even just how human lives are simultaneously so grand up close and so miniscule from afar, but I personally would have had a better emotional payoff from seeing how previously mentioned characters impacted the greater narrative. The most glaring issue is how this criticism applies to the book's female characters and how they, though as emotionally complex as any other character, lack any true agency when they're not tied to male characters. Lamita is the worst example of this,with her entire internal struggles and resolution being tied to men for the sake of executing the plot. There are also some characters that do not foreseeably have any direct impact on the plot or other characters, and are only there to introduce elements of the setting - quite a pity since I ended up being most attached to a few of them.
Nonetheless, what an interesting little book on the futility of work, power, art, life - and how these are all tied together. Eschbach will run circles around you with how answers only lead to more questions, and that the mystery of the hair carpet weavers is resolved in as absurd a manner as its introduction. I am also impressed by what a gorgeous translation this is, and how Eschbach unfurls a space saga and conspiracy in the span of a few hundred pages.