Book Review #149
Young Adam
by Alexander Trocchi
This is the existential tale of Joe, a young man who is as much a mystery to himself as he is to the reader, who works on a barge in Scotland, where he and his boss discover the lifeless body of a young woman in the water. We eventually learn of Joe's relationship to Cathie, the dead woman, and of his involvement with her death. There is, in fact, throughout the story, the pervasive sense of mortality. While I was reading the book, the words that kept coming to mind were: bleak, grim, grimy, sordid, ugly, and graphically sexual. After finishing the novel, I wondered why Trocchi chose the title "Young Adam" even though his protagonist's name is Joe. Adam is, of course, a biblical reference, suggesting that Joe, too, is a fallen figure.
by Alexander Trocchi
This is the existential tale of Joe, a young man who is as much a mystery to himself as he is to the reader, who works on a barge in Scotland, where he and his boss discover the lifeless body of a young woman in the water. We eventually learn of Joe's relationship to Cathie, the dead woman, and of his involvement with her death. There is, in fact, throughout the story, the pervasive sense of mortality. While I was reading the book, the words that kept coming to mind were: bleak, grim, grimy, sordid, ugly, and graphically sexual. After finishing the novel, I wondered why Trocchi chose the title "Young Adam" even though his protagonist's name is Joe. Adam is, of course, a biblical reference, suggesting that Joe, too, is a fallen figure.
No comments have been added yet.
