See, here's the thing. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay was so damned beautiful I could hardly stand it, but then Summerland was sort of trite and the only reason I slogged all the way through it was because I was on vacation and it was the only book in my hands. I had such a non-opinion about Wonder Boys that I couldn't even blog it, and then I swore off M.Chab forever. Or, you know, until now..
Union is a thick, spiralling piece of awesome.
.So, there's these Jews, right? (I can call them 'Jews,' right? I feel like all other mono-syllabic ethnic names are all slurs. If I'm being an uwitting racist here, I'm sure I'll be sufficiently trolled.) And they all refugee to Sitka, Alaska after WWII and make a sort of Little Israel, but it's only temporary, and after 'temporary' elapses Sitka is going to revert back to the 'Merica and the Jews will once again be diaspora'd (note: none of this really happened. Also in this alternate universe, JFK marries Marilyn Monroe instead of being assassinated. So...rad).
.But then this dude gets killed in a hotel, and somehow it's the non-biggest deal ever and so you sort of don't pay attention because this detective waltzes on page wearing his Protagonist hat, and then his ex-wife shows up as his new boss and that's tense, and there are some old men playing chess in one corner and it takes you the longest time to realize that this is a murder mystery. A big one.
.But there's none of this...you know when the be-spectacled detective pulls the swatch of fabric off of the nail with the oversized tweezers and is all, Ye gads! A clue! This is all the opposite of that. If you like your whodunnits with plenty of whiz and bang, seek ye elsewhere. This is subtle as hell.
.And Chabon has this way of making what is really a very personal, intimate story simultaneously into this very large, shot-of-the-earth-from-space thing and then coming full circle to tap himself in the back and then your mind collapses on itself.
.All of which to say that it's really good. But also really elaborate and string-like, so do not read it on the beach surrounded by shrieking children. You will be baffled. I'm aware that this review has been less than coherent, but if you need a fully-fleshed plotsum there's always Pedia, King of the Wikis.
.As for this, eight and a half caterpillars. The Chab is back in my good books.
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Done you read what I done read? Let's swap spit links.
I loved The Amazing Adventures... so much that I was sort of hesitant to read anything else because I wasn't sure if I'd love it as much. Plus, his books are always on the expensive end of books I can get at the used book stores. I'm glad this one is good, now I'll be sure to get it.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I'm glad you've joined the Twitter party -- it's fun. I'm usually just that kid that hangs out by the wall and the food table and does a lot of people watching :)
I read this earlier this year, but for whatever reason I never blogged about it. I liked it a lot. It's definitely a book that has more to it than "just" a murder mystery.
ReplyDeleteWow -- great review. I have never read anything by Chabon, would you suggest I start with this?
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad I'm not the only one who wonders if 'Jews' is PC!!! lol
ReplyDeleteI thought Michael & Clay was so awesome, and I've seen lukewarm reviews about his other books, so I thought maybe I'd just avoid anything else by him. But now this one might end up on the list. I just read a different book set in Sitka!
I've not read a Chabon book but I won a copy of his first non-fiction attempt, Maps and Legends: Reading and Writing Along the Borderlands. I hope to read it soon.
ReplyDeleteLoved The Amazing Adventures and enjoyed The Yiddish Policeman's Union! I read it a year or so ago and can't help but admire Chabon's unusual approach in this novel.
ReplyDeleteRead it and liked it but didn't review it. I mean, I was speechless after reading this one. LOVE your review though :o)
ReplyDeleteI'm working on The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay now. It's slow going, but I like it.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you about Wonder Boys...it was...so unmemorable as to be memorable for me. I read it as the first Chabon book I ever read and so I was hesitant about reading The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay but that was amazing. Ok, Chabon gets another try, The Final Solution? same as wonder boys. Jewish Union, awesome. Why is his book quality so inconsistent?
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I think I just really like the title. I haven't read anything by Chabon, but if this is actually good (and a title to match!), I guess it speaks for itself.
ReplyDeleteI listened to it on CD, which was fantastic, but you really, really had to pay attention! I had never read Chabon before and definitely want to read more of his stuff. I see from the comments "Amazing Adventures" is the one to go with! My review is here:
ReplyDeletehttp://litandlife.blogspot.com/2009/06/yiddish-policemens-union.html
Your reviews are so fun that even when it's about a book in a genre I never read I find it interesting- and hilarious- to read about.
ReplyDeleteIf you are up for more Chabon, I'd be curious what you think of Gentlemen of the Road which was definitely memorable, but I never could figure out if it were great or just a fun adventure story with an occasionally overwhelming vocabulary.
ReplyDeleteI loved this one, too. I liked Wonder Boys fine, and The Final Solution, but none of them have had the power of Kavalier and Clay for me. Overall, I will cut him a lot of slack for that one.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this one as well, and I think I enjoyed it even more because I never would have thought I'd have enjoyed it based on its genre and subject matter (if that makes sense.) It's not taking K & C's place as my favorite Chabon, but it was still really good.
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