A review by tani
Slow Man by J.M. Coetzee

1.0

I hate to say this, but I really did not like this book. This had nothing to do with the writing style, which was quite lovely at times. It had to do with the main character. One of the main reasons that I read is to gain some kind of understanding or sympathy for the characters of the book. Unfortunately, Paul Rayment was a character I just couldn't sympathize with. I usually don't say this kind of thing, but I really felt like I was outside the intended audience, which must have been male, older, and immigrant/Australian. Every single time I started to be drawn into the story, he would think something that would remind me of just how much I disliked him. Sure, making you like the main character doesn't necessarily make for good literature, but making you dislike the main character isn't exactly productive either.

I say to say that unlike some of the other people, I actually didn't mind the addition of Elizabeth Costello, though. She made things a little more interesting for a while, even if my interest was short-lived.