I'm fairly excited about reading this particular novel. It originally came into my consciousness thanks to Karl Anderson, who had read the novel when it first came out years ago and prompted me to buy it. As a fan of Chabon(through the outstanding film: Wonderboys), I thought it would be nice to read one of his works. Also, I've felt the need to familiarize myself with more contemporary novels, now that I've read so many "classics". Unfortunately, the book gathered dust on my shelves for quite some time, as I was uninterested in the subject matter, and decided that the length of the novel was too much to dedicate myself to, if I wasn't ready. Along came Robert Ford. Ford, who's teaching the novel to his UCONN English class this fall, is re-reading the novel to prepare himself for the discussions, and I thought I'd joining him during this process (jump on the bandwagon!). Lesson: Never let the opportunity to piggyback on someone else's enthusiasm to accomplish an elusive goal pass.
So, here are my (very brief) thoughts on Part One (possibly the shortest of the parts):
First of all, I was surprised at how much I'm enjoying the novel. I didn't think the subject matter (magic and comic books) would interest me, which makes no sense as I grew up on both (Houdini was a hero of mine and I've read books and seen films on him; I have about 5 thousand comic books). I can't give a good reason as to why I wouldn't be interested, only that I thought the novel might be silly. That having been said, the novel is not silly in any way.
The first chapter is clever in that it focuses on Sam Clay (who will be ignored for most of Part One)for the first few pages, and then brings in Joe Kavalier in the strangest of ways ("Wake up! Here's your never-before-met Czech cousin, now share a bed with him.") to set up the two men's relationship by showing just how fast they are thrown together (little choice), and bond over common interests and a home-made smoke. So much of the novel's main topics are seen instantly: Houdini, Comics, the partnership, Jewish suffering, etc. Also, we get to see Clay's energy, desire for self-improvement, and deceptive relationship with his mother (who thinks Clay is farther ahead in his artistic endeavors) quite quickly. Clay is instantly impressed by Joe, who has traveled to Brooklyn from places Clay has only dreamed about. Joe is established as a much more mature, confident, and independent young man than his cousin, through actions such as buying newspapers,his promise to find his own bed as soon as possible, and the faith he displays in his drawing abilities. Ultimately, he is much more a man of action than Clay, who only assists in the creation of the jury-rigged cigarette, instead of coming up with the idea on his own. Here we have our leader and our follower. I assume this is the way their partnership will continue from here on out. Chapter 1 really accomplishes a lot in a short amount of time. I noticed that the author likes to use a lot of examples and lists. I'll assume that is part of the reason why this novel's so long! Most of the examples I expect to read (some with a smile or a "wow"), but I'll probably skip a few when I'm on the tired side, or anxious to read on.
Chapters 2-4 flashback to Joe's early life in Prague, as he goes from magician's apprentice, to escaped Jew, to thief, to escaped Jew, and ultimately back to Clay's room by the start of Part Two(wowing Clay with his drawings). We meet his highly-educated (but somewhat distant), self-sacrificing parents, his younger brother Tommy (who brings a sad, more realistic element to the story), and Kornblum, an extremely satisfying, albeit "stock" character (in that he is in many ways - with the possible exception of his evening with the prostitute - predictable: grumpy, pensive , "smarter than everyone else", quick to teach or scold, loner, fatherly, eccentric, etc.). The early days of the two brothers (the sweet, younger, impressionable one following his older brother around)are reminiscent of the Houdini brothers, and the "failed" escape from the icy river gives us two major themes in the novel: dealing with loss (in this case, the loss of the brother's musical abilities and the loss of Joe's magical career) and appearances versus reality (the Hofzinser Club is nothing like what the boys expected). I go back to something a character in Wonderboys said about how writing is all about making choices. The choice to take away Tommy's music was a hard one for me, the reader, to accept. But, that is the nature of life. I enjoyed all of the insights into lock picking (most notably, creating a pocket in your cheek to hide tools!)and escape methods, very much. As a claustrophobic, I couldn't help but suck a little extra air during this section (although I though Chabon could do even more with this. The final coffin escape was not as horrific as I would have liked).
I have to admit, it took awhile for me to figure out what the hell a Golem was (thanks Ford!). And, even though through watching Raiders of the Lost Ark I was familiar with the whole "Nazi's stealing religious artifacts" idea, I still don't see just HOW important the Golem really was. I did, however, really enjoy the apartment building search (the disguises were underplayed), with the insight into the Jewish suffering, children's insights (strange window: see Finding Forrester), the suspense built into the break in scene ("Hands up, gentlemen"), and the cleverness of the prostitutes and the old waiter. I especially liked the secret room, and the discovery of the Golem. Having to cloth the Golem as a way of getting Joe to go back home and see the dramatic change in his family's living arrangements was also inspired, especially as we are left with a real deep sense of sadness for Tommy, Jews, and even Joe, who must carry this burden of escape (clever!) for the rest of his life. There's a feeling of something missing at the end of Part One (no final words between the old teacher and his student, parts of the journey omitted), but that's OK. I didn't like the deflowering of Joe (not needed, I thought), even though it was probably symbolic of his loss of innocence. It's hard to get a hold on what the majority of the novel will be about (beyond themes and character development).
OK, that's enough.
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2 comments:
Nice ... I'm glad I roped you in.
The characterization is what struck me after Part I, too. As you say, Joe is a much more confident guy. Sam is an American boy in Brooklyn without any real care in the world who has been able to talk the talk without walking the walk, but Joe brings an urgency that really forces Sam into action. It's interesting how they play off each other as the novel progresses. They need each other and compliment each other.
The theme that I've been tracking is transformation, escape, and metamorphosis. It's interesting that in the opening of the book, Chabon notes that Houdini's act was called Metamorphosis and that an act of escape is an act of transformation. In that respect, the novel sets up Joe's escape as an act of transformation, and Chabon's purpose perhaps is to explore all the facets of this transformation.
I liked your point about loss, the loss of Thomas and the rest of Joe's family, the loss of Joe's innocence. It's made me think a little more about moments of loss for other characters.
One thing that I like about the opening, too, is the way that the Nazi treatment of Jewish people is depicted. We're not given horrific images of the Holocaust like emaciated Jews or mass executions. We see the beginning of the Holocaust. We hear a rumor of a girl killed in the streets after curfew. We see how families are forced to move. The Holocaust is in progress and since we know how it ultimately and horrifically ends, the depiction feels so much more tragic.
The best example of what I mean is during the scene with Kornblum and Joe when they are trying to find the apartment with the golem. Kornblum tells the tenants that they have to put a star of David in their window to show that they have been counted. Everyone complies, which eerily reminds me of the fact that the Holocaust was accomplished largely because of Jewish compliance with all of the Nazi directives.
I had one other comment that I forgot to make. Your point about lots of examples and lists. I agree. There are also a ton of similes. Sometimes they're quite clever and good, but sometimes they repeat.
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