I recently found out my wife owns a pair of clippers. There's really nothing quite like a shaved scrotum. It's breathtaking.
I picked up the book yesterday, so I'm only a few chapters into it, but I wanted to make a couple of comments...
I'm not sure how far into Dylan's life we progress throughout the novel, but Lethem is incredible at depicting the inner thoughts and feelings of a six-year-old. It is so often the case that we look at children and those younger than us, and think that they have it so easy. Since we've already passed those trials we seem to forget how serious they were, how difficult life seemed to be, and we only focus on life at present. Look at the pages when Marilla and La-La tell Dylan that Robert Woolfolk is going to beat him up. To Dylan it is more of an evil indian ritual dance--the girls playing jacks, chanting his imminent doom, and the grisly image of Robert with a razor.
The way he writes makes me think of my own childhood, how serious everything really was, and how unimportant the world of adults seemed. I think of Charlie Brown cartoons, when the grownups speak all that is heard is "Wah wah wah..." The choice of a hero like Henry, trying to fit in and belong, avoiding embarassment at all costs--these are just some of the major struggles a six-year-old faces. And they are struggles we faced and STILL face today. Aren't we all still six-year-olds, still trying to solve those very problems?
If you like Lethem, then you would also enjoy Michael Chabon, especially "The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay".
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1 comment:
Really great insight. I completely agree with you. One thing I remember thinking as I was reading while Dylan was still young (the story does follow him up to at least 40) was the idea of how slowly time moved. I remember thinking that everything took too long. I always wanted to be one grade ahead of where I was or one experience further along in life. Grown ups always try and tell you that your concerns aren't that big of a deal and that you should enjoy your youth and not rush too quickly to grow up. I can't believe how much of that stuff he kept bottled up. He couldn't talk to anyone about how he really felt. Great to see you on here dude!
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