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anna_mac14 's review for:
The Rehearsal
by Eleanor Catton
I hardly know where to start with this novel...it was very strange and very confusing - intense, dark and very different to anything else I've read. But I really, really enjoyed it. I think it was the language that grabbed me. Dialogue was delivered as it might be in a theatrical performance with no attempt at making the voices seem 'real', and yet many passages captivated me and made me pause and think, because they seemed to perfectly capture emotional truths that I could relate to.
There are some excellent reviews of this book on goodreads already - so I will let myself off the hook and just jot down a few notes.
The most obvious theme was that of reality versus performance...and the challenge to the reader is to try to decipher what really happened and what was part of a theatrical production, fantasy or memory. The characters at the centre of the 'sex scandel' are written as minor players, and we are left trying to piece together what went on from pieces of second- or third-hand information which may or may not be true. I'm interested in the idea that we all 'perform', to fit our roles in society and in relationships, to impress, to shock, to put people at ease, to make our lives easier, to make us feel good about ourselves etc. There was heaps to think about here, especially about how it is as teenagers and young adults that we are experimenting the most with different 'performances' as we find our place in the world and in society. Do we perform less as we get older (becoming more comfortable in our own skins, more satisfied with who we really are), or is it that our performances have simply become more polished and natural because we have been inhabiting them for so long? Does anyone not perform and how are these people accepted in society? Imagine if someone really spoke as bluntly as the saxophone teacher does?!?
The saxophone teacher was an intriguing character. She was sinister and perceptive, and although she was obviously speaking as in a performance (i.e. acting), she was the one who most often cut to the truth of the matter. She was aware of the fact that all of the characters were actors, but she also responded to them as if they were real. Near the end of the book at the final recital I think she sums up her point of view when she says "There are people who can only see the roles we play, and there are people who can only see the actors pretending. But it's a very rare and strange thing that a person has the power to see both at once: this kind of double vision is a gift."
The theme of power, and abuse of power, also ran though the novel...the power that parents have over children and teachers over students in particular. I liked how this ran both ways though, with exploration of the power that the girls themselves had over their teachers, parents, boys and the other girls in their peer-group.
A throughly interesting and absorbing read with so much to think about...recommended as long as you don't mind feeling a bit uncomfortable and being a little bamboozled!
There are some excellent reviews of this book on goodreads already - so I will let myself off the hook and just jot down a few notes.
The most obvious theme was that of reality versus performance...and the challenge to the reader is to try to decipher what really happened and what was part of a theatrical production, fantasy or memory. The characters at the centre of the 'sex scandel' are written as minor players, and we are left trying to piece together what went on from pieces of second- or third-hand information which may or may not be true. I'm interested in the idea that we all 'perform', to fit our roles in society and in relationships, to impress, to shock, to put people at ease, to make our lives easier, to make us feel good about ourselves etc. There was heaps to think about here, especially about how it is as teenagers and young adults that we are experimenting the most with different 'performances' as we find our place in the world and in society. Do we perform less as we get older (becoming more comfortable in our own skins, more satisfied with who we really are), or is it that our performances have simply become more polished and natural because we have been inhabiting them for so long? Does anyone not perform and how are these people accepted in society? Imagine if someone really spoke as bluntly as the saxophone teacher does?!?
The saxophone teacher was an intriguing character. She was sinister and perceptive, and although she was obviously speaking as in a performance (i.e. acting), she was the one who most often cut to the truth of the matter. She was aware of the fact that all of the characters were actors, but she also responded to them as if they were real. Near the end of the book at the final recital I think she sums up her point of view when she says "There are people who can only see the roles we play, and there are people who can only see the actors pretending. But it's a very rare and strange thing that a person has the power to see both at once: this kind of double vision is a gift."
The theme of power, and abuse of power, also ran though the novel...the power that parents have over children and teachers over students in particular. I liked how this ran both ways though, with exploration of the power that the girls themselves had over their teachers, parents, boys and the other girls in their peer-group.
A throughly interesting and absorbing read with so much to think about...recommended as long as you don't mind feeling a bit uncomfortable and being a little bamboozled!