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jdsatori 's review for:
Netherland
by Joseph O'Neill
There's no doubt that JO'N can write beautiful sentences, but i just don't *care* about what's going to happen next.
Living in ny, i can't tell you how many times someone has said, "Man, i've had so many crazy experiences here! All my friends tell me i should write a book!" (No, people. You shouldn't. Everyone has crazy experiences in nyc -- it's NYC, not you!) In this spirit, the scenes at the Chelsea Hotel feel forced. It was good to see that he didn't over-sentimentalize 9/11, though.
Overall, I think he was trying to tell a subtle story of one man's aimless life. But for subtlety to work, the reader needs to feel the deep elements of the story and the light/delicate/fine details *simultaneously.* It's a sweet spot that JO'N keeps missing.
Living in ny, i can't tell you how many times someone has said, "Man, i've had so many crazy experiences here! All my friends tell me i should write a book!" (No, people. You shouldn't. Everyone has crazy experiences in nyc -- it's NYC, not you!) In this spirit, the scenes at the Chelsea Hotel feel forced. It was good to see that he didn't over-sentimentalize 9/11, though.
Overall, I think he was trying to tell a subtle story of one man's aimless life. But for subtlety to work, the reader needs to feel the deep elements of the story and the light/delicate/fine details *simultaneously.* It's a sweet spot that JO'N keeps missing.