#36: “The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay” by Michael Chabon
I was really worried that I was going to like this book simply for the sake of liking it. I have never had so many people applaud my reading choice unprompted. Or, for that matter, offer their uncensored opinion. (My friend Ryan called it “a guys’ book.” Twice.) I had a lot of trouble getting into it at the beginning, but that Pulitzer Prize kept me reading. I’m a sophisticated reader, damn it. I will not let dense contemporary fiction best me.
This really was a fantastic book, in its own way. The prose flirted with the line that divides “on point” and “too dense,” confirming my love of Michael Chabon. (Have my children?) I didn’t have that visceral response that I had while reading “The Mysteries of Pittsburgh,” but that doesn’t mean “Kavalier and Clay” is any less worthy of my affection.
Finishing this book was a small victory in itself; I was eating toast and putting on my shoes as I finished the last page this morning. (636 pages is nothing to sneeze at.) This novel really took a journey with me; a couple of small yet monumental things happened to me while I was carrying this book in my bag. I’m a big fan of associations, so it’ll be an experience dropping it off at the library tomorrow.
Please read this book.
