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Dirt
by David Vann (Goodreads Author)
by David Vann (Goodreads Author)
Almost unbearable, painfully beautiful, horrifically funny. A Euripidean tragedy (you can almost hear the chorus) under a scorching, flattening searchlight of a sun. That a pivotal scene is no less ominous because it's set to the sound track of the Cars song "Heartbeat City" (I'll never hear that song the same again) says something about Dirt's power (and sense of humor). One of the best books I read all year, but I might not have made it through if it wasn't my job, though perhaps I couldn't have stopped. Not for the faint of heart, but absolutely worth it—at least it's as short as it is intense.
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Claudia
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rated it 3 stars
May 03, 2012 02:14pm
Curious why you gave it 5 stars. It sounds like a book you might not have finished, and would only have finished because of the plot.
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Claudia wrote: "Curious why you gave it 5 stars. It sounds like a book you might not have finished, and would only have finished because of the plot."I guess I didn't make myself clear--I finished it not at all because of the plot, but because it was my job to read it (I am a copyeditor). In truth I am not generally eager to read very difficult or emotionally taxing literature in my off hours, my excuse being that since I read for work all day I am entitled to read Wodehouse in the evenings—the truth might be more that I'm a wuss. I do read many good books, however, for work and otherwise, and in the last few years a couple have really stood out (I think I am a tough audience)--this, and Christian Kiefer's novel The Infinite Tides (which I've also reviewed here, and which is a completely different kind of book). I gave Dirt five stars because it is powerful and in its way beautiful, but I wanted to make it clear that it was also, for me, a difficult book to read.
Hope that makes some sense!
Thanks so much for the thorough response Miranda. I am still pondering what I think of the book. The writing is outstanding and I loved Legends of a Suicide. Your answer makes perfect sense. It's very cool to be able to discuss a book like this.
Claudia wrote: "Thanks so much for the thorough response Miranda. I am still pondering what I think of the book. The writing is outstanding and I loved Legends of a Suicide. Your answer makes perfect sense. It's v..."I haven't read Legends of a Suicide. I also worked on Caribou Island, and I have to admit it gave me a blinding headache almost all the way through, and frankly I was (to put it mildly) not looking forward to Dirt when I realized who the author was. But for whatever reason, though it's searing to read, I felt very different about it in the end. I guess I had this idea about it seeming like Greek tragedy, and that distanced it slightly and made it more bearable.
