Monday, August 19, 2013

The Keep: It MIGHT sound like I didn't like it


I should preface all this by saying that something strange happened when I read the book jacket: I didn’t comprehend a word of it. Standing in the bookstore, I was convinced this was a gothic novel about two young female cousins living alone in a castle . . . which didn’t necessarily grab me, but Jennifer Egan’s name was right there on the cover.

I kinda like her.

Well, when I got it home and the first page opened on some dude named Danny, I was like, “That’s no lady.” And then when there was a portable satellite dish in his bag, I was like, “MODERN times. What am I even reading right now?”

I want to make sure this doesn’t happen to you, because it’s jarring. The book is about two BOY cousins. Adult ones. And the story is set in present-day Europe. Austria maybe? No one seems to know. But Howard, the one boy-cousin, purchased an old castle he's planning to turn into a resort. And Danny, the other boy-cousin, was in the middle of some drama in New York, so when Howard said he would pay Danny's travel expenses if he helped prepare the castle, he was amenable to that idea. The trouble is, Danny hasn’t seen Howard since they were kids, and there’s a big Past Event hanging over their relationship. So Danny has the nerves about seeing Howard again, and it doesn't help that it's happening in this crumbling, ominous castle in Germany or possibly the Czech Republic.

If you think you have a grasp of what this book is about because of my excellent summary above, I should also mention this is a story WITHIN a story. And you also get some gothic, borderline-supernatural elements as a bonus.

Just for being you.

I think this was only Egan’s second book, and it has some hint of the perspective-shifting style she went on to perfect in that shiny, splendiferous novel some years later. But it’s not quite there YET.

I had one foot out the door for at least 3/4 of the book. I’ll be honest. She does a weird thing where she prefaces each line of dialogue with the speaker’s name, followed by a colon; there’s nary a quotation mark to be found. And if her shunning of traditional punctuation isn't enough, there are some other . . . odd occurrences.

But the last 1/4? Something clicked, and I saw that the stuff I’d been wary of wouldn’t have worked any other way. And the shift was so subtle and perfect that I almost didn’t notice it happening. And then I backed up several pages so I could experience it again. And it was beautiful THAT time, too.

Surprise blog-post twist!
On the basis of the whole experience, I’m gonna go ahead and recommend that you read this one. Just . . . remember it’s about boys.

18 comments:

  1. It's about BOYS?! EW *throws it away in disgust*

    However! I enjoy this thing where we're tracking Jennifer's development as a writer because it is INTERESTING, even if its her future books which are going to be most rewarding. So obvs I will read this. Cause I was just kidding about throwing it in the bin.

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  2. To my GREAT dismay. Ugh. Boys.


    I'm almost to the point of being blindly loyal to The Egan. Because even when she's not great, she's very, very good. I have her first-ever novel on the shelf, and I'm excited to see how it compares to Goon Squad. But I know it will fall short, because everything does. EVERYTHING DOES.

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  3. Indeeeeeeed. I read The Invisible Circus! I liked it plenty and it has some very lovely writings but I was definitely like whyyyyy you so straightforward, book?

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  4. Well...I'm not firmly in the Egan camp like you (and Laura) are, but I've got a copy of this one circulating 'round my house somewhere. The only other Egan that I've read is the one about the model whose title eludes me and I can't be arsed to look it up right not. It was definitely of the more straightforward narrative variety than Goon Squad was.



    Which is all to say that now that I know this book is about boys, I could probably read it and enjoy it with my expectations adjusted. ;)

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  5. Where did you even FIND that GIF?

    Is it possible you confused this slightly with The Glass Castle? Because I absolutely did that. And am still doing it.

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  6. I AM ALSO IN THE EGAN CAMP


    But this whole thing being about boys is honestly making me rethink reading it. I AM NOT PROUD OF THIS.

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  7. Is it Look at Me? That's the other one I have that I haven't gotten around to reading yet. It was her first, if I'm not mistaken. So maybe she was playing it safe a little bit.


    I'm always good for adjusting people's expectations. Generally in a downward direction.

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  8. Yeah, but it's also sad. So that puts you out of it for SURE.

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  9. PURELY BY ACCIDENT. Our eyes just met over a sea of other GIFs that weren't nearly as wonderful. And then I knew. Then I knew.


    My familiarity with The Glass Castle is exactly zero, other than my knowledge that it was, at one time, VERY popular and is now available in large quantities at a used bookstore near everyone.

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  10. "...because it's jarring."


    HAHAHHA JARRING. Poor kitty. hahhaha.

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  11. Oh man...completely random cat GIF inside joke right here.

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  12. ONLY until I use it! Which will be just as soon as I can look at it without crying tears of laughter for long enough to actually put it in a post.

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  13. I am an absolute sucker for a Big Past Event, so yes. This.

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  14. This isn't the most satisfying Big Past Event on record, but it gets the job done.

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  15. I still haven't read a Jennifer Egan book and I need to rectify that immediately and...I'm sorry I can still see that final gif while typing and I just. can't. think. straight. now.

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  16. Hehehehe...rectify.


    *ahem* YES. You need to adjust your life, which is barren of Egan. Start with Goon Squad.


    I'm sorry the Gangnum dancing is muddling you. Han will fix it all better. *pew-pew*

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  17. To my GREAT dismay. Ugh. Boys.


    I'm almost to the point of being blindly loyal to The Egan. Because even when she's not great, she's very, very good. I have her first-ever novel on the shelf, and I'm excited to see how it compares to Goon Squad. But I know it will fall short, because everything does. EVERYTHING DOES.

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  18. Indeeeeeeed. I read The Invisible Circus! I liked it plenty and it has some very lovely writings but I was definitely like whyyyyy you so straightforward, book?

    ReplyDelete