Basically what happens is that a
twelve-year-old genius, T.S. Spivet, is obsessed with mapping the achingly
ordinary world around him, until it stops being quite so ordinary – he wins a
major scientific prize and has to decide whether to stay on the dry Montana
ranch he calls home, or somehow travel two thousand miles across the country to
claim his place among the scientists he so reveres.
Guys, it was so good. If you missed my hints on the blog and twitter, here's how freakin' good it was:
Guys, it was so good. If you missed my hints on the blog and twitter, here's how freakin' good it was:
TWO THUMBS UP KINDA GOOD! [Doing two thumbs up while holding heavy book: unsuccessful.] |
You know what I loved? The experimentation
with sidenotes and illustrations. I literally got this book because I saw it
and went “Ooh! Pictures!” and I definitely wasn't disappointed. The little
maps, sketches and graphs all add to the story and appeal to my incredibly
short attention span.
Reading a sidenote, even at the very end, feels like
you're unlocking a secret layer in the narrative. It creates an intimacy with
the reader that isn't easy to come by in contemporary lit.
You know what could've been better? The language didn't
strive to be childish at all, but there were glaring times when the voice was
all “hello, I am an adult self-consciously writing from a child's point of
view.” Luckily those moments were few and far between.
Another thing that irked me is the micro-story in the
middle, which had its thematic appeal, but dragged on a bit too long. It was compelling at first, but I got through the whole thing
only by devouring the side notes. There's also an annoying deus ex machina that pops up towards the end to iron
over some dodgy plot points. But hey, this stuff is forgivable.
This isn't an action-packed story, but it's
certainly a compelling one. Though T.S. is a little genius, he's far from cold,
and there is a pervasive curiosity and clarity of vision that sticks with you
after you've put the book down. What's most fascinating is the way he charts
and maps his family – from the traumatic accident that killed his brother (this
broke my heart a little bit, because it was never fully fleshed out, but
constantly hinted at in the narrative) to the series of muscle contractions
that make up his father's expressions. Larsen's also a kickass illustrator when he's not doing the whole measuring-and-charting thing, too.
One of my favourite pages, a swarm of sparrows. |
Much of the book is set on a very long
train ride, and it was described so well that I felt a little fatigued and
motion sick whenever it was mentioned. I don't generally recommend books that
make me sick, but there you go.
I loved it, not only for the rich,
endearing story, but because it's so visually interesting I couldn't wait to
turn each page. I could argue that the tangential structure hints at the way a
genius' brain works, but to be honest it felt very natural and not at all
contrived to prove some abstract literary point. It's a brief and intoxicating
return to picture books mixed with the secret thrill of reading someone's
journal and turning the page sideways to check what vital insight is squished
along the margin.
I recently got a Kindle (yay!) but The
Selected Works of T.S. Spivet is exactly why I'll never stop buying print
books. I may be downloading classics I'm not sure about, and new stuff that'd
take ages to ship to S.A., but something as beautifully crafted as this book
could never really live on a screen. It's meant to be held, the weight of it showing how much talent and hard work went into it.
Also, I cried at the end. SO YOU KNOW IT'S
GOOD.
I give it a 4/5, or 8.2/10, or :) / 9000.
Do pick it up if you get the chance!
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