Unlike the other books we have read this one is missing a certain aspect, like The Man in The High Castle where it challenged us with the idea of authentic versus fake. Then Tim ‘O Brien plays with our emotions with vivid details. I just do not see those type of things in Kindred.
(On a different note, if you get a chance read Camus the fall it also brings up the idea of authentic and fake but every time is also depicts his reality being shattered. It’s a short book too, but you might need to read it a few times to catch it.)
It's interesting that you feel this way about the novel because in my case (from what I have read so far), Kindred is actually my favorite out of the books we have read. I feel myself getting sucked into the novel; once I start reading it I have a hard time putting it down.
ReplyDeleteI also think that Kindred does have that "aspect" but definitely in a different way than any of the books that we have read previously. I think that "truth" just plays a very different role in Kindred than it has in the other novels. It seems that in this novel, we are not meant necessarily to question what the truth is, but to realize how easy it is to switch between multiple truths, multiple realities for both the characters and the reader. Dana after a while begins to feel at home in the South of the early 1800s, that time period and her life in it becomes her "truth" while she is there. When she goes back to the 1970s, her memories from the 1800s seem out of place (distant almost like a dream) and her truth becomes the 1970s again. But she is always prepared to make that shift back into the 1800s mindset.
When I started Kindred, I didn't like it much either. I thought the writing styler was uninteresting and it didn't hold my attention. But the more I read, the more I got sucked into the story. For me, the characters are the most compelling aspect of the novel. I read with anticipation to see how Rufus grows up, how living in that time and place changes Kevin, and what sacrifices Dana has to make. I've also anticipating the limits of Rufus's relationship with his father, Rufus's relationship with Dana, and Dana's relationship with Kevin, waiting to see what will happen. For me, the characters are the focal point of the story because they create drama through their actions and relationships, and they allow the reader a chance to see how different roles in life affect people psychologically. Even if we don't forgive Rufus for his awful treatment of people, we can at least understand his motivations. And with Dana, we see how quickly she has to adapt to the role of slave, even though her conscious tells her to fight. This insight into character and motive is what allows me to relate to the book.
ReplyDeleteThis book is certainly different than the others. I also was not convinced of its importance or merit when I started reading it. However, my reasons for initially feeling this way were markedly different than yours. I found it very easy to ready and engaging but it came across as sort of a beach read. The type of book you read for pure pleasure. These books have interesting or exciting plots and you breeze through them but they lack real substance or important motifs, themes, characters ... However, the novel has since grown on me and I also have come to wonder if maybe I have no basis for characterizing any novel "a beach read". This could just be a trap and a social construction that tells us as a society what should be deemed literature and what should be considered nothing more than tissue paper
ReplyDeleteI think the reason that you found this book so uninteresting is that it's base plot is not as enticing to the reader as Cats Cradle, The Things They Carried and The Man in the High Castle are. The plot, although time travel is interesting, brings us to a time that we have studied in history class millions of times and thus, at least for me, creates a lack luster enthusiasm within the reader. MitHC drew me in immediately because it brought in an alternate reality, CC did because of it's unique style of text (although I have to say it did take me a while to get into it like Kindred did) and TTTC uses a vivid and colorful depiction of the Vietnam war. So as far as losing interest in the beginning of the novel, I feel your pain.
ReplyDelete