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ukleafs 's review for:
Time's Arrow
by Martin Amis
I feel as if this were two books. The central plot device is a neat, if not original idea of telling a story with time flowing in reverse. The first part of the book proceeds to make the most mundane, banal observances about the "action" in the narrators life. Plenty of conversations cleverly constructed to make sense if read from beginning or end and lots of scatological references which I guess are meant to be funny. This first book ends when the story reaches Auschwitz, and this story I would give a two star rating to.
But oh boy do things change from the point of reaching Auschwitz on. I found the backwards time flow narrative to be very effective in describing the horrors of the death camps in a way that other written accounts do not. Scenes in gas the chambers of crying families "reunited" and the experimental medical rooms were very chilling.
The description of the old jew appearing from the bottom of the latrine pit, arms and legs helplessly flailing as he is "rescued" by the German guards presents an image which to me is nearly as striking to me as the photo from the Viet Nam war of the little girl running away naked from the napalming of her village, her clothes having been burnt away.
Also especially standing out to me is the scene in the warehouse where the people are led back into hiding by a squad of soldiers led by a mother cradling a poor crying baby.
Scenes such as these two and others for me made the second part of this book worthy of a four star rating.
But oh boy do things change from the point of reaching Auschwitz on. I found the backwards time flow narrative to be very effective in describing the horrors of the death camps in a way that other written accounts do not. Scenes in gas the chambers of crying families "reunited" and the experimental medical rooms were very chilling.
The description of the old jew appearing from the bottom of the latrine pit, arms and legs helplessly flailing as he is "rescued" by the German guards presents an image which to me is nearly as striking to me as the photo from the Viet Nam war of the little girl running away naked from the napalming of her village, her clothes having been burnt away.
Also especially standing out to me is the scene in the warehouse where the people are led back into hiding by a squad of soldiers led by a mother cradling a poor crying baby.
Scenes such as these two and others for me made the second part of this book worthy of a four star rating.