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A review by freshkatsu
Being Dead by Jim Crace
4.0
This is a book about ordinary people.
This is painting by Van Gogh in 1888 titled Shoes The objects painted are the artist's own processions - they are well used, experienced and passive. Now, instead of a full analysis of Van Gogh's artistic merit (which can be found in any high school art essay), try to picture his thought when he was painting this pair of shoes. Were they chosen with particular intention? Not really, since he did another painting with a black pair of boots in the same manner. Why did he pick shoes of all possible objects? Sunflowers, you can argue, are well, aesthetic naturally. More importantly, these are his own shoes. Remember, Van Gogh was nobody at the time, this would have been even more insignificant then his portraits. The shoes were not accidentally put into the picture, they were its sole occupants. They had to be important. Ok, so maybe Van Gogh really loved his shoes, but why did he paint them so scrubby and worn? Notice how they are positioned slightly off the center and placed on domestic floorboard? This is a composition you would use if you want to degrade a subject and emphasise its feebleness.
In a way Being Dead is similar to Shoes. The novel starts with two zoologists robbed and left dead on a beach. It is not about the violence of the act or the consequences of it. It is completely random and unremarkable, just like the rest of the cast. So why couldn't I put the book down? Van Gogh was one of the first to be so daring - he painted the emotional weight of the object rather than the actual quality of it. He managed to elevate a pair of shoes to a subject worthy of time and effort. Similarly, Crace achieves the same result. The characters and plot themselves are mundane, yet the way he illustrates the process of the cadavers' decay and the little details of their brief existence contribute to the charm of the story. Highly recommended.
This is painting by Van Gogh in 1888 titled Shoes The objects painted are the artist's own processions - they are well used, experienced and passive. Now, instead of a full analysis of Van Gogh's artistic merit (which can be found in any high school art essay), try to picture his thought when he was painting this pair of shoes. Were they chosen with particular intention? Not really, since he did another painting with a black pair of boots in the same manner. Why did he pick shoes of all possible objects? Sunflowers, you can argue, are well, aesthetic naturally. More importantly, these are his own shoes. Remember, Van Gogh was nobody at the time, this would have been even more insignificant then his portraits. The shoes were not accidentally put into the picture, they were its sole occupants. They had to be important. Ok, so maybe Van Gogh really loved his shoes, but why did he paint them so scrubby and worn? Notice how they are positioned slightly off the center and placed on domestic floorboard? This is a composition you would use if you want to degrade a subject and emphasise its feebleness.
In a way Being Dead is similar to Shoes. The novel starts with two zoologists robbed and left dead on a beach. It is not about the violence of the act or the consequences of it. It is completely random and unremarkable, just like the rest of the cast. So why couldn't I put the book down? Van Gogh was one of the first to be so daring - he painted the emotional weight of the object rather than the actual quality of it. He managed to elevate a pair of shoes to a subject worthy of time and effort. Similarly, Crace achieves the same result. The characters and plot themselves are mundane, yet the way he illustrates the process of the cadavers' decay and the little details of their brief existence contribute to the charm of the story. Highly recommended.