
When I first began to read this book, I had the distinct feeling that it was written with a young audience in mind. The language and sentence structure seemed very basic and there was something quite strange about the exuberance of the writing. Victor loves exclamation points and capitals and he’s not at all sparing in their use. As I moved further and further into the story, I began to see that the writing was really a reflection of the inner mind of Victor, and that by nature, he is a man prone to over-excitability and, most of the time, a lot of hyperbole. Every person he met was the most beautiful, most successful, best liked, etc. It was hard to gauge the real qualities of the people in his story because they were all so very similar. The best people he had ever encountered, in fact, even though their actions and behavior said otherwise. The problem, I think, had to do with the fact that Victor didn’t have a lot of experience with the written word, which may have made his writing seem a bit juvenile and inexperienced. I can say it was filled with a lot of emotion, and though it was a little distracting, it was also very passionate.
A lot of this story felt like it could have been penned by an over-emotional teenager. There was no real measurement or restraint in the emotions that the author expresses. He seemed often to be on the tip of hysteria, and because of that, the book lost a lot of its emotional impact. I also got rather tired of hearing about his wonder over his sexual exploits and his pondering over his penis. I assume this was a big deal because he’s Catholic and that kind of thing is generally frowned upon within that religion; To me, it just felt a little seedy and too confessional for me to really be able to enjoy it. Sometimes the thoughts we have running through out heads are not the best thoughts upon which to center a book, and particularly a memoir. I got the feeling that Victor was a trifle naive and that a lot of what was happening to him was normal, but from looking at it from his perspective, it was somehow strange and hysteria producing.
I think my biggest problem were the sections when Victor begins grappling with God. He comes to some very strange conclusions about Him and has all of these weird ideas about the nature and substance of God. Though he doesn’t go to church and only prays when something bad happens to him, he has this whole dogma of his own figured out that was rather strange and discomfiting. I began to suspect during the latter half of the book that he may have some sort of mental illness, because his thinking and behavior was so erratic and convoluted. It seemed he wanted God to fit into a little box of his own making and he was very self-centered about all of this. He goes about correcting passages of the Bible and having arguments with God in the middle of the desert, and I, for one, was worried about him. Now I’m not one to question anyone’s belief system or castigate anyone for the ways in which they find spiritual comfort. It’s not my place to do that and I feel I need to be as accepting as I can of others and their beliefs. But Victor’s grappling with God came off as unbalanced and scary at times, and his thought processes about these things were very disorganized and self-aggrandizing. It was interesting to read but frightening to contemplate.
Thought there was a lot to be concerned about, there were some moments of pure brilliance and Victor’s life story was rather interesting to read about. I think I just had a disconnect with the execution and emotional outbursts that plagued what could have been a very cogent and lucid tale. I think its interesting to note that Victor has had two other fictional works published and that at least one other reviewer compared him to Steinbeck. I didn’t see that at all, but then again, this memoir could possibly be very different from his fictional offerings. Though this book was not to my tastes, there may be other readers out there who would enjoy reading about Victor and his very unusual life. A rather strange read.
This book was provided as a complimentary review copy.
13 comments:
I love the alliteration: pondering his penis and grappling with God... Sounds like a rather bizarre book!
Huh, interesting. I don't think it sounds like my type of book either. You had some really good insights though!
I'm curious whether you would try one of his fiction offerings after reading this?
I don't read alot of memoirs, but when I do, I try to avoid ones with a "confessional" overtone...I don't think this is a book for me; his contemplation of his sexual prowess alone is enough to make me just say no.
This does sound...interesting. I can say one thing I think I might love about this book - the cover! I'm big into vintage cars, especially trucks. They can be quite cute when updated. But, I'm not sure if I'm so pulled into the story line, though. Might flip through this one in the bookstore, however.
Book Girl,
I don't think that I would try any of his fictional work, no matter how lauded, because frankly, I don't really feel confident that it would differ greatly from what I had already read. It wasn't really a problem with content, but a problem with style, and I don't really want to get into another round of Victor being creative again. I really have no curiosity about his other work after having read this book. It might be a case of just knowing too much about the author, but I am not sure.
Eh, well, I guess we give the guy points for trying and being candid. I wonder where his editor was in all of this? There is enough teenage hysteria here in my own home, I am not all that interested in reading about it!
I think that exuberance would get grating after a while. It's too bad because the title and cover are fabulous.
I often struggle with book reviews where I can't quite tell whether the things that felt a bit jarring are a result of the character's voice (like you say, Victor being enthusiastic) and the author's. It's hard to know how to judge, but I always want to feel like the author is drawing clean lines between himself/herself and his/her characters. If that makes sense?
Just how old is Victor when he wrote this? It sounds like a genuine memoir but perhaps not one of a gifted writer.
I can't get the image of him arguing with God out of my head....
Great review. love this
Thoughtful review, Zibilee. I'm not sure this one is for me.
As a Catholic, I find this memoir particularly interesting. In Catholicism, there's usually a very black-and-white view of right and wrong, eliminating almost all gray areas. So, I would like to see if I could relate to Victor's struggles. :)
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