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Netherland
by Joseph O'Neill
by Joseph O'Neill
Beautiful. At times, devastating.
Firstly: this book is not about the sport of cricket, so if that's at all a hindrance to your reading it, let that go. Sure there's some talk of the game and its particulars, and it creates a central catalyst from which the action of the story takes place, but it is about so much more: the city of New York post 9/11, the state of being lost, and the nation one comes from, goes to, and feels an outsider of or assimilated into, not to mention the vast universe of relationships (marital, parental, friend-al) and the responsibilities and heartbreaks inherent in each.
A few disclosures that may have affected how moved I was by the book:
1. I lived in New York for the exact number of years, even the exact years, 1998-2003, as the narrator. I think he did a great job reflecting on those post-shock days of 2001, without going overboard on descriptions. It's more impressionistic than that. But if you haven't lived in New York, or visited for at least a small amount of time, some of the references and reveries may not mean as much to you as they did to me. If you haven't seen the man dancing tango with a full sized female mannequin (a femalequinn?) in the Times Square subway stop, the narrator's description of him may seem like so much novelistic invention. Rather, to me, it's a detail that he draws from actuality that makes me that much more absorbed into the surrounding invention.
2. I read this at a time when I, like the narrator, was feeling a bit lost and raw. Sometimes there's a perfect collision of the right book at the right time, and this was definitely one of those for me.
3. During my time in NYC, I dated a girl named Cricket (honestly - although it wasn't her given name).
Books like this are why I read. They're worth the slog through mediocrity and the not-quite-thereness of other books if you find one that hits the sweet spot. This particular book may not be that for everyone, but let me know when you get to O'Neill's definition of a fathom and tell me if you don't have to catch your breath a little bit.
Firstly: this book is not about the sport of cricket, so if that's at all a hindrance to your reading it, let that go. Sure there's some talk of the game and its particulars, and it creates a central catalyst from which the action of the story takes place, but it is about so much more: the city of New York post 9/11, the state of being lost, and the nation one comes from, goes to, and feels an outsider of or assimilated into, not to mention the vast universe of relationships (marital, parental, friend-al) and the responsibilities and heartbreaks inherent in each.
A few disclosures that may have affected how moved I was by the book:
1. I lived in New York for the exact number of years, even the exact years, 1998-2003, as the narrator. I think he did a great job reflecting on those post-shock days of 2001, without going overboard on descriptions. It's more impressionistic than that. But if you haven't lived in New York, or visited for at least a small amount of time, some of the references and reveries may not mean as much to you as they did to me. If you haven't seen the man dancing tango with a full sized female mannequin (a femalequinn?) in the Times Square subway stop, the narrator's description of him may seem like so much novelistic invention. Rather, to me, it's a detail that he draws from actuality that makes me that much more absorbed into the surrounding invention.
2. I read this at a time when I, like the narrator, was feeling a bit lost and raw. Sometimes there's a perfect collision of the right book at the right time, and this was definitely one of those for me.
3. During my time in NYC, I dated a girl named Cricket (honestly - although it wasn't her given name).
Books like this are why I read. They're worth the slog through mediocrity and the not-quite-thereness of other books if you find one that hits the sweet spot. This particular book may not be that for everyone, but let me know when you get to O'Neill's definition of a fathom and tell me if you don't have to catch your breath a little bit.
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Julie
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rated it 4 stars
1 de Ago 15:16
I love your review, Cory. Now I'm going to have to read Netherland. I hope you're happy.
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Thank you, Julie. And the only thing I regret about your now having to read it is that it's in hardcover. Sorry for the expense. I have a signed first edition, and the only thing I regret about that is that I'm going to reread this many times, I believe, and wear out any value that might entail.But do read it, and tell me if I'm overly praising or star inflating by your tastes and standards.
I would never accuse anyone of overly praising or star inflating... other people do that, not me! So why did you leave NYC?
It just seemed like it was time. I'd finished school and my family is on the west coast. But I'm quite the tumbleweed...
a moving review. You made me add it to my list for next year. bought my quota for this year all ready due to this site. thank you!
You're welcome, and thanks for the compliments. But the book really is that good. Just ask Julie, who, I'm sure, has already read it and made me happy.
Well, my husband bought it (he brought it home and I was cooking dinner and I opened it to check what edition it was and got red sauce on it) SO I know you have a first edition signed but I have a 4th edition with spaghetti in it!
Correct. Given the choice of being stranded on an island with his signature or a soupcon of my spaghetti sauce, I think I'd have to go with my copy.
This book is exactly what you say. The one you slog through so much mediocrity to find. It explains why many people struggle to find jobs that pay enough to enable them to live in N.Y. It helps people understand that certain things must be experienced and felt before we are ready toresume a life or be able to go on. This is a novel that teaches deep and often unknowable truths in the most beautiful words and literary devices known to man. A modern and timely masterpiece! A novel that encourages us to open our minds to one and all. We often learn what we most need to know from those we believe we have little in common.
