Cary Neeper's Blog: Reviewing World-changing Nonfiction - Posts Tagged "motivation"

I hesitate to review a prize-winning book, especially one well written and insightful. The introspection of the first person character carried me on, for I could identify with his youthful doubts and mediocrities. I could also identify with him as an older person looking back on a life well-lived but questionably significant. However, too much can begin to sound like whining.

My main criticism is that the story's suspense is built on failure to communicate--a device used way too often in soap operas. Too little motivation is given for both the actions taken and the dire consequences of reactions to those actions.

I kept reading. I love well-written English--but in the end, the book didn't tell me anything useful about human nature. It merely raised questions about the author's motivation. He seemed to be more interested in trying to shock the reader than carrying his exploration of human nature to a satisfying insight. What are we supposed to learn? That we are Not designed to carry on tragedies with resignation, at least with some understanding of fate or a touch of forgiveness? Is genius our undoing? Bitterness our destiny? Our mediocrity our salvation? Maybe that's it.