Irena answers “I would not recommend a book whose...”

Inés Arteta asked this question about The Human Comedy:

I would not recommend a book whose narrator I could not trust. Who is this omniscient narrator? Why is the 14 year old Homer so philosophical, thinks and reacts as a 50 year old. If it is due to the early loss of his father, his need to work and the absence of his older bother, (not spoiling), then that was not enough for me. Did´t the narrator make you uncomfortable through out the text?

Irena Pasvinter I had no problem with the omniscient narration. Many books are written this way. But I had a big problem with Homer and other characters all deliverin…moreI had no problem with the omniscient narration. Many books are written this way. But I had a big problem with Homer and other characters all delivering philosophical speeches which were totally unrealistic and out of character. People don't go around speaking about the sense of life and the meaning of death on every corner, and definitely not in such numbers and frequency as in this book. They also don't break into beautiful long monologues about whom to hate and how to live when they find out about tragedies. Almost everybody above 14 years old was so goodly and so philosophical that frankly, it made me sick. The book often sounded like a moralizing preachy tale for young readers. (less)

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The Human Comedy

by William Saroyan

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