Flights - first part spoiler thread pp 7-102 (Mar 2019)

[Hugh]

Despite being composed of over 100 sections, this book is rather resistant to subdivision, with some stories being broken into parts and interrupted, and others very short. So I will have to pick an arbitrary point to stop this "initial thoughts" discussion, so I suggest after Ash Wednesday Feast and before North Pole Expedition (page 102 in the Fitzcarraldo edition.

So how do we feel about the structure? Does the organisation seem random, or have you discerned any logic behind it?

Incidentally, if anyone feels the need for a table of contents, so that you can see at a glance how long a new section is, I created one for my review here - all page numbers are for the Fitzcarraldo edition.

[Mark]

Hugh,

After being "softened up" by Ali Smith, Olga has been a fun ride, largely. The play with outside structure is something both Tokarczuk and Smith have done several times. Like you, I made up my own Table of Contents to aid navigation (and put a printed copy in the library book). Wiki has one as well. I like the discipline to allow each section to be just as long as it needs to be.

Perhaps a cross between Smith and China Mieville... I get the feeling of safely observing the surroundings that you are visiting, and the feeling of secret knowledge (and the suspicion that your knowledge may be very much in error). There are observations that are hilarious at times, but mostly with a shiv held ready under that casually carried coat on the arm. The reference to "Guidance from Cioran" was a warning of what is to come: https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Emil_Ci...

Frankly, I returned the book to the library after I read it, so I can't be sure of the references to avoid spoilers, but the meandering of topics into anatomy and related specialties was upsetting and seemed disconnected from her "traveler's view" that I had come to enjoy. I've come to a "working hypothesis" of how they help the other sections, but that's something for later.

For what it's worth, the 10 year earlier Primeval and Other Times has a much more conventional structure and all her wit. I see she's nominated for the Booker again. I can't find the reference right now, but I got the impression that she felt the newer effort was even more scattered than Flights.

[Hugh]

Neither Flights nor Drive your Plow is new, both were published several years ago in Poland. Drive your Plow is much more of a conventional narrative, but Tokarczuk herself has described it as a filler between more serious projects - that did not stop it being interesting!

[Linda]

I just finished this first section and I’m not quite sure how I feel about the book yet. It seems I’m still trying to get my bearings with the structure and the interleaving of stories with other observations. It doesn’t help that I have not had larger chunks of time to read.

I’m curious if we will return to the stories and characters we have encountered so far, especially the man whose wife and child went missing. I also enjoyed Eryk’s story as well, but that one seemed self-contained.

Oh yes, and I loved the section in the first story where the narrator said she was well suited for traveling because of her petite build, lack of prescriptions, etc. Then continued on to give specific numbers for cholesterol, creatine and other such blood work and the fact she buys paperbacks so she can leave them for other travelers to read. I just found it a bit humorous.

I’m wondering about the maps. I loved the first one with the various rivers and their lengths compared to one another, once I was able to focus on the very tiny writing. Not sure about the other two (?) so far as there were no titles or legends and it was hard to tell what I was looking at. Not sure if we are supposed to be able to gather any information from them or if they are there more for decoration.

I am curious and will continue on. I have a Polish coworker who got very excited when he saw that I was reading a book by an author from his homeland, although he said he has not actually read any of her books yet. Today he asked how it was coming along and I gave him a sort of “on the fence” response. I can’t help but want to enjoy this book, though, just because of his enthusiasm when he saw that I was reading it. Lol. We shall see...

[Whitney]

Way behind on the reading (quelle surprise). I've haven't been able to discern a larger pattern to the various chapters other than themes of travel, self, and impermanence. I am definitely enjoying a slow read of this one, though.

Linda, if you haven't discovered it yet, there is an index to the different maps at the end of the book. They seem as random to me as the various chapters, but I wonder if the apparent disjointedness of the chapters is part of the point.

[Linda]

Whitney wrote: "Linda, if you haven't discovered it yet, there is an index to the different maps at the end of the book."

Thanks, Whitney! No, I was not aware of the list of maps in the back, so thank you for pointing it out. I see there is also a list of museums and collections too.

Further along in the book, I had already googled one of the museums that was mentioned in the text and was able to see (view spoiler)[ photos of a couple of the preserved bodies that were described. (hide spoiler)]