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Criticism

Review of The Sense of an Ending, by Julian Barnes

July 8, 2024

Book Review, Criticism

criticism, ending, literary fiction, narrative

I’ll say it right away: This review of The Sense of an Ending, by Julian Barnes, was inspired fully – believe it or not – by its… ending. Quite frankly, it’s so atrocious that it should be taught in literature classes as an example of what not to do.

But let’s take a step back.

It all began when, looking for something to read, I noticed this short novel and was encouraged by its blurb that promised an elliptical and ambiguous narrative (more of this in a moment) with clear literary-fiction vibes. I was far less encouraged by the fact that this book in particular and the author in general have received plenty of awards and praise. Quite frankly, I’m thoroughly suspicious of such things.

In any case, I thought to give it a shot, and the result was exceedingly peculiar, as you’ll discover in this review.

review of the sense of an ending, image of old man
Probably this is what the protagonist would look like: old, alone, bored and boring
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Review of The Glasgow Coma Scale

June 24, 2024

Book Review, Criticism

affect, art, book, literary fiction, literature, metatextuality, plot, restraint, review, social masses

Whenever I go to the library, trying to find something to read, I often end up frustrated. Call me picky if you want. Yet as I’m going through the blurbs (nowadays even they are buried beneath the asinine, useless “INSTANT BESTSELLER!” tags), what I see is more and more authors overly enamored with plot. I decided to write this review of The Glasgow Coma Scale by Neil D.A. Stewart before I’d read ten pages of it.

The reason?

Because it at least didn’t try to reinvent the wheel. The blurb didn’t promise some sort of epic saga spanning three continents and six decades, or some sort of in-between state between fantasy and reality.

As it turned out, it was actually a damn well-written book to boot. Truly, a masterclass on what quality literature should be.

review of Glasgow coma scale. photo of street graffiti.
Much of the book is about juxtaposition, the interplay between antithetical qualities. Yet at the same time, the title of the book is not only a reference to the location where the events take place – Glasgow, Scotland – but also the eponymous test assessing brain damage and response to stimuli. In a novel about giving up, this becomes a highly relevant metaphor
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Review of South of the Border, West of the Sun by Haruki Murakami

June 10, 2024

Book Review, Criticism

criticism, Japan, literature, review

I have a love-hate relationship with Haruki Murakami’s fiction. Well, alright, it’s much closer to love than hate, but I’ve been critical of his fiction before. However, South of the Border, West of the Sun must be my favorite Murakami novel – and I’ve read plenty.

Whether we like or not something can boil down to personal preferences. Nonetheless, the reason why I liked South of the Border, West of the Sun so much can be very revealing in terms of writing – and reading – in a self-aware manner.

In a nutshell, I’d say in this novel Murakami succeeded in understanding the critical connection between depth and width more than in any other.

south of the border, west of the sun. image of nighttime Tokyo
There are various small details in the novel that seem insignificant, such as the use (or not) of umbrellas. But just as the protagonist cannot be certain about his observations, the reader can’t ignore the subtle symbolism lurking in these (only apparently minor) details
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