It Happened in Boston?
Jun. 2nd, 2007 07:09 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
calzephyrI've been carrying this 1968 novel by Russell H. Greenan around in my backpack for some time. I borrowed it during our book swap at work, and I was afraid I would have to give it back - but the loaner generously gave it to me with the wish that I pass it on when I'm done.
It's a difficult read, but I enjoyed it. It leads you down so many paths - the unnamed protagonist is an artist of excellent skill who likes to take "reveries" in a park. Basically he imagines that he has gone back in time. The narrator is very paranoid, and after a while it's hard to tell if what he remembers is "correct" or not. I don't know if I would call this a mystery or science fiction. I like that Greenan wrote such detailed accounts of the art world though - I found them very authentic.
The first half of the novel is a pedantic diary of the man's life, and then things start to spiral quickly into an ending that I thought was exciting. The back of the book says that the novel is "hilarious" but I must be humour impaired as of late because I thought it was actually serious. I think describing too much of what goes on would spoil the book.
I'll probably go scouting on the net to see if I can find some deeper meanings. I don't think the purpose of the book is mental illness; it may be just a fantastic (and engaging) work of imagination and that's that :-)
It's a difficult read, but I enjoyed it. It leads you down so many paths - the unnamed protagonist is an artist of excellent skill who likes to take "reveries" in a park. Basically he imagines that he has gone back in time. The narrator is very paranoid, and after a while it's hard to tell if what he remembers is "correct" or not. I don't know if I would call this a mystery or science fiction. I like that Greenan wrote such detailed accounts of the art world though - I found them very authentic.
The first half of the novel is a pedantic diary of the man's life, and then things start to spiral quickly into an ending that I thought was exciting. The back of the book says that the novel is "hilarious" but I must be humour impaired as of late because I thought it was actually serious. I think describing too much of what goes on would spoil the book.
I'll probably go scouting on the net to see if I can find some deeper meanings. I don't think the purpose of the book is mental illness; it may be just a fantastic (and engaging) work of imagination and that's that :-)
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2007-07-19 05:10 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-07-20 02:30 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-07-20 02:50 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-07-20 03:36 am (UTC)