Darlings, This May Be Joshua Ferris' Favorite Book, But..........

Girls, you know I have nothing but the highest respect for other people's literary acumen. I am always interested in what other people--be they friends or writers--are reading, and what they recommend. Sometimes those recommendations pan out, and sometimes they don't.

So, when Joshua Ferris, one of my faves, placed on his favorite books list, "The Emigrants" by W.G. Sebald, I thought...hmmm,......

About two years ago, I had read Sebald's highly acclaimed "Austerlitz," which made the Ten Best List of Books for that year in the Times. It was a chronicle of suffering during the Holocaust ( a major topic of Sebald's, and a realm of fiction I am certainly drawn to), with a very specific gimmick. That is to fictionally document the story he is telling with accompanying photos that he relates to the story at hand. The effect is both cinematic, but also a little distancing. I wonder if Jonathan Safran Foer (who I am sure has read his share of Sebald) was specifically influenced by this German writer, especially when it came to creating "Extremely Loud And Incredibly Close." I can only wonder.

"The Emigrants" charts the experiences of four German exiles during these most horrendous of times. Among these are a doctor, an artist, and a schoolteacher. The narrator traces their stories, interweaving bits of crucial items. The prose style is beautiful and hypnotic, but the whole device is an acquired taste; it all washes over you, like celluloid imagery, with no sense of flowing continuity, just brilliant snippets that add up to a whole. But for me the results were not satisfying; clearly Sebald's technique does not work for me. Especially when I found myself longing for the more structural pleasures of, say, "Middlemarch." And wait till you hear what I am reading now--blast off!!!!!!!!!!!

"The Emigrants" is worth reading, especially if you have never read Sebald. Its effects are more cumulative than "Austerlitz," but with reading time being such a factor for me these days, I really have to pick and choose. Outside of a group assignment, I do not think I would choose to read more Sebald. Mr. Ferris and others can continue to indulge in their love fest, which I will leave to them and Louisa May Alcott!!!!!!!!!

Which goes by way of saying it may be Josh's fave, but it NOT mine!!!!!!!!!!