Remembering Dismembrance: A Critical Compendium

by Daniel Takeshi Krause

Quirky, cerebral, exquisitely tortuous, Daniel Takeshi's first novel, Remembering Dismembrance , takes the form of a compendium of critical responses to a novel titled , Dismembrance , and advertises itself as a "second synchronic snapshot of discourse in action...claiming its place as not just the leading anthology for its subject matter but, in point of fact, the definitive piece of Dismemorabilia . It is, put simply, the only absolutely indispensable thread for anyone looking to enter this particular labyrinth." But which labyrinth is that?

172 pages, Paperback

First published March 31, 2012

Reviews

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Haake once again delivers extraordinarily wrought prose in her new novel. Featuring indelible characters, the narrative is a much welcomed meditative and spiritual escape. I will happily read it again and again.

[Kevin · Rating 2 out of 5]

TOO dream-like, maybe... I think?

[CakersFiftyFive · Rating 5 out of 5]

“This is one of my favourite books a strange meta-fictional adventure, written as an essay on a fictional piece of work known as Dismembrance. Now that description sold me on the book straight away, that and the title, the titular Dismembrance is described quite vaguely in-universe, but it seems to me as if it is a novel that can be re-written at will by the general audience, a unique and interesting concept in and of itself, with segments coming from peoples memories, as such this book garnered a lot of critical literary study. Remembering Dismembrance frames itself as a compendium of all of these such literary analyses (all of which being fictional and written by Krause remember). This book is about memory, how it can change and develop over time, how our memories can never be perfect, and how we perceive the memories themselves.

[Douglas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Katharine Haake's work is frighteningly original, but more than that, it's feminine fiction so generous in its conception and execution that one can (and does) forget that there ever could be, in the hands of a lesser author, even a scintilla of exclusivity or a nod toward an agenda. I savored in wonder Haake's sentences, often several times, asking myself: How does she do that? I will defer to the words of Anthony Burgess when describing what seems to be Haake's process: "And the words slide into the slots ordained by syntax, and glitter as with atmospheric dust with those impurities which we call meaning." If this makes sense, I will say that Haake's work shines with the brilliance of the rarest form of humility. A true work of art.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

Post-apocalyptic California, in a world where some people are part computer, reality is questioned as dreams and memory are created, occasionally for purposes of deceit, occasionally for purposes of learning how to live and survive, sometimes alone, and sometimes with others. This book is surreal, mythic, and difficult, but the lyrical elements make sentences that beg to be read out loud, sometimes as lament, sometimes as hymn. They ask the reader to linger, to be patient. This book is not a quick read--it is a long modernist poem that looks like a novel, but still contemplates the anxiety of the individual, isolation, and hope for the future.

[Nori Ochi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have no idea what I just read!