Books I Loathed discussion
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The Dogs of Babel
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Diane
(last edited Aug 25, 2016 11:51AM)
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Aug 04, 2007 08:45PM

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Okay, it's like my favorite book. My feelings are mirrored in Sherri's review of it: that the melodrama and ridiculousness of the premise are neutralized beautifully with the honest writing. In fact, I think of it more as slipstream than just fiction. I was horrified with the dog scene (you know the one) because I could envision it so perfectly -- and it worked in the context of the book. I thought it was original and amazing.


As for TDOB, the story - that is, the parts about the main character's wife - moved me to tears and broke my heart.

As for books that have controversial subjects - I don't mind that, with two notable exceptions.
Someone mentioned the Lovely Bones above - graphic rape, abuse and murder of children in any book is very hard for me to swallow. I did like the Lovely Bones, but it was hard for me to get through that.
And any book that deals with abuse of the mentally ill, the elderly and animals. I guess I'm just an old softie.
I mentioned before, one of the books I could never finish was American Psycho. I had read The Stranger Beside Me, stories of Jack the Ripper, and I still felt Bret Easton Ellis may have gone just a tad too far.

The only exemption to that is Sharyn McCrumb's Ballad (?) series, because I was already caught up in them when I read the first one.

I love the Cup-A-Soup metaphor! :)

Sarah, I take your Kerouac and raise you a Ginsberg. I don't care for him. Though, people have said that I haven't really tried. I mean, honestly, who's to say? (Someone once said that to me about Warhol and in the intervening years nothing has changed - lol)
Things change over the years. There was a time when I gobbled up any halfway decent horror or occult book out there, but now I don't tend to spend much time on them and am half embarrassed at some of the ones I did read. Our experiences mold us and how we view things - so I am always willing to give a piece of literature another chance unless the author is a repeat offender.

***SPOILER ALERT:
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To be strictly accurate, the dog is not killed, and ends up safe...
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***END OF SPOILER
To me, one of the great things about GOOD books that deal with the mortality of beloved pets, e.g., Old Yeller and A Dog Called Kitty, is that they make us so aware of both our power as the most highly evolved animals, and simultaneously of our emotional complexity. I can watch horror movies without blinking, but I sob at the IAMS commercials because dogs have such loyalty, such unquestioning obediance and love for us that it kills me. I want to protect them and make them happy. Books in which they are hurt have traumatized me but also stuck with me in a deep emotional place. I would never want to read about such things in a context where it is unnecessary for the plot or, god forbid, celebrated, but I have (luckily) never actually encountered such a book. I think many writers have very sensitively tackled this topic for the purpose of hitting that nerve that makes us look deeply at humanity and our place on earth as animals.
Sorry, hope that wasn't too cheesy!
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To be strictly accurate, the dog is not killed, and ends up safe...
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***END OF SPOILER
To me, one of the great things about GOOD books that deal with the mortality of beloved pets, e.g., Old Yeller and A Dog Called Kitty, is that they make us so aware of both our power as the most highly evolved animals, and simultaneously of our emotional complexity. I can watch horror movies without blinking, but I sob at the IAMS commercials because dogs have such loyalty, such unquestioning obediance and love for us that it kills me. I want to protect them and make them happy. Books in which they are hurt have traumatized me but also stuck with me in a deep emotional place. I would never want to read about such things in a context where it is unnecessary for the plot or, god forbid, celebrated, but I have (luckily) never actually encountered such a book. I think many writers have very sensitively tackled this topic for the purpose of hitting that nerve that makes us look deeply at humanity and our place on earth as animals.
Sorry, hope that wasn't too cheesy!



For one thing, we appear to differ in our views on "Angela's Ashes".
absurdly frivolous post>





I liked this book. I don't think it's destined to become classic literature but it had more substance than some other best sellers. I felt the characters seemed believable. Humans can be capable of great madness when railing against the loss of a loved one. I enjoyed the attention to descriptive detail. Cubed boiled eggs, anyone? Also, Lorena makes a valid point about the layperson's close up view of of a major mental illness. That could be easy to sensationalize, but it was well done here.
Andrew, I didn't have any problems with the voice not striking me as male. I have noticed that with other writing though. (Lahiri's Namesake is an example.) Can you relate specifically what you found that missed the mark?
I read Lost & Found as well and liked that too.