Monday - January 22, 2007
more Tideland
I can't do it justice in a short little entry
here, but I can say I loved it. It's sad, funny, dark, depressing, and
fabulous. Mitch Cullin's other books are getting added to my list as soon as
possible. I very much enjoyed his style.
One of the things that particularly appealed to me in the book was the way Jeliza-Rose's "stream of consciousness"-style narration moved about in time. The plot in general did this, in fact. Temporal relationships in the novel tend to exist only in Jeliza-Rose's mind at times. That's not to say it's Ulysses or anything. The reader can actually follow this plot! But it jumps around a decent amount. Certain knowledge is sort of taken for granted, as well. In a sense, this is a nice tip of the hat to the reader. I appreciate writers that allow me to make connections on my own rather than having them pointed out pedantically.
I love Classique and Cut & Style...Just that image is almost enough to make this book worth reading. Her bits & pieces Barbie dolls just melt me. This poor little girl never asks for your pity....and honestly, you never really feel pity for her. She's an amazing young girl. Even with her "boyfriend" Dickens, you are almost cheering for her to get what she wants. You want her to be able to have a normal life...and while there is perhaps a hint that it has a chance of happening at the end of the book, you know there's very little chance of it happening. And yet, you have a decent, calm, good feeling at the end.
I'm trying not to give spoilers here because this is very much worth reading. There aren't a lot of twists or "surprises", but you need to read it almost in one sitting so you can experience this unique world first-hand with no guidance.
One of the things that particularly appealed to me in the book was the way Jeliza-Rose's "stream of consciousness"-style narration moved about in time. The plot in general did this, in fact. Temporal relationships in the novel tend to exist only in Jeliza-Rose's mind at times. That's not to say it's Ulysses or anything. The reader can actually follow this plot! But it jumps around a decent amount. Certain knowledge is sort of taken for granted, as well. In a sense, this is a nice tip of the hat to the reader. I appreciate writers that allow me to make connections on my own rather than having them pointed out pedantically.
I love Classique and Cut & Style...Just that image is almost enough to make this book worth reading. Her bits & pieces Barbie dolls just melt me. This poor little girl never asks for your pity....and honestly, you never really feel pity for her. She's an amazing young girl. Even with her "boyfriend" Dickens, you are almost cheering for her to get what she wants. You want her to be able to have a normal life...and while there is perhaps a hint that it has a chance of happening at the end of the book, you know there's very little chance of it happening. And yet, you have a decent, calm, good feeling at the end.
I'm trying not to give spoilers here because this is very much worth reading. There aren't a lot of twists or "surprises", but you need to read it almost in one sitting so you can experience this unique world first-hand with no guidance.