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Review of The Heart Goes Last

October 1, 2018

Atwood, book, literature, review, science fiction

The Heart Goes Last, by Margaret Atwood, is a quasi-science-fiction story set in the modern United States. Technically, it could be in the near future, but there is nothing to suggest it isn’t set in the present time.

The setup is (post-)apocalyptic alright, but in an individual way. Jobs disappear, social cohesion collapses, people live in the streets. However, the focus is on Stan and Charmaine, who are unwilling to live in their car anymore, and so sign up for Positron. It is a place promising security, safety, bliss; ad infinitum. That is the catch, however. Just like Hotel California, you can check ~~out~~ in any time you want, but you can never leave.

Let me start by saying this: I like Margaret Atwood’s style.Check the Critical Reception section in the article about The Other Side of Dreams to get a hintI like the way she introduces a deeply introspective narrative style, giving her characters life. As a result, I really had high hopes about The Heart Goes Last. Disappointingly, my expectations were shattered.

I have read countless books, both as a casual reader and from the perspective of literary criticism. Honestly, I never remember a narrative disintegrating so completely. Let’s see the details.

Nominally, *The Heart Goes Last* is about freedom versus security. But, sadly, things fall apart pretty rapidly

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Why Rewriting a Novel Is a Bad Idea

September 29, 2018

Fiction Writing Tips, Writing

creativity, editing, fiction, literature, rewriting, writing

Inspiration for this post came after I read about someone almost bragging about having just finished the 26th rewrite of their novel. Editing your book is an essential key to success. Tweaking things here and there or changing your mind and rewriting, say, the ending, can be useful. But there is no benefit in rewriting a novel. I am rarely so absolute in my declarations when it comes to literature, but I’m doing it now.

Rewriting a novel is about as useful as trying to please your audience, and twice as pointless. If a novel needs rewriting as opposed to editing then you are much better off scrapping the whole thing and writing a new story. Let’s see why.

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House Arrest by Francis Mont

September 25, 2018

Literature

author, book, Francis Mont, review

A slightly different article for today. It’s not a review and it’s not an author interview. Yet in some deeper, symbolic way it is both, and it is neither; like the double-slit experiment of quantum mechanics – a simile that would perhaps make Francis Mont, a physicist, smile.

We’re not here to talk about physics however, but about literature. House Arrest, by Francis Mont, is a science-fiction novel taking place in a post-nuclear-war America in 2098. Let’s take a look at the description, as it’s given on Amazon:

The country is in ruin. Three cities in the Sacramento Valley, with relatively intact infrastructure, are trying to survive in drastically different ways. One is organized by its AI quantum computer and its sophisticated robots. It automates everything for maximum efficiency and human beings are left with no role in their city’s welfare. That leads to problems – without jobs to keep them occupied, people get bored, restless and destructive. Omega 1500, their computer, has to temporarily lock them up to protect them from each other. Once their problems are solved, they’ll have to deal with the other two cities. The big question is whether they learned from the past and understand what human happiness depends on.

As it becomes apparent, there are a lot of interesting elements here. Let’s take a closer look.

Francis Mont, House Arrest — Not all post-apocalyptic novels are the same

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