The Book I am reading
As you can, a man is being chased by a gigantic seven-legged spider.
Perhaps not the best book for me to read, given my hate-hate relationship with the creatures!
If you have seen the film (or can read the title in the photo), you know or can guess the story - man starts to shrink, an inch a week. I am waiting for him to shrink to nothing.
It's a fantastic idea, and the story tells of the man's suffering - his anger, his fears, his frustrations, his relationships and his life as they fall to pieces, and the deprivations he endures particularly when tiny - yet his determination to survive in the face of all these odds remains indomitable. Both the suffering and his instinct (and ability) to survive are brilliantly portrayed, as he manages to stay alive in the cellar - half an inch tall, climbing mountains (or fridges) to eat moulded crackers, or scramble up a cliff (thimble) to drink brackish water collected from a leaking pipe. All of this while dodging the spider - and a black widow at that! - who seems determined to snare him.
It must be the grimmest book I've ever read.
There is no let up at all. As he struggles to mount enourmous obstacles - literally as well as figuratively - in the cellar, he has flashbacks of his life over the previous year - his anger, his fear, the deteriorating relationship with his wife, the loss of job, the financial hardships, the jeers and stares of neighbours, and the humiliation of being a freak.
Maybe there's a happy ending? I've never wanted the hero of a book to die as much as I want this one to (though not at the fangs of the spiddy). It's too cruel, the suffering is too intense.
Though brilliantly done, as I said earlier.
Incidentally, I wonder if the hero's name - Scott Carey - was deliberately chosen cos you could read it as S. Carey? (Almost scary!) What do you think?
Later this week, I will revert to my field of expertise - failurism - with accompanying comments on extreme tiredness, as requested.
posted by Valpot @ 9:22 a.m.
6 Comments:
At 12:23 p.m.,
Inkpot said…
This book seems perfect for you, given your relationship with spiders! I love your review. While I want more Failurism advice, I think more book reviews would be good too. I love Ian Matheson. I am legend is a great book. No one else can capture the agony of being a shrinking man or the last human on earth quite as well.
At 1:45 p.m.,
Anonymous said…
brilliant review - i feel like reading it myself
At 2:54 p.m.,
Valpot said…
I prefer I am Legend - even though its premise is pretty hopeless, he hasn't the anger that Scott has.
Scott's feelings are totally understandable - in a way, his situation is far worse. He is suffering while the rest of the world is going on as normal - unlike Legend, when all are dead.
Scott is bitter, but he fights hard - I couldn't!
At 3:14 p.m.,
Valpot said…
Is Ian Matheson not a lecturer in myths, and author of "Satan's Sex Slaves"????
Or is he Richard's little brother?
At 5:45 p.m.,
Inkpot said…
Yup, Ian Matheson is Richard's little known English brother. I thought I would just mention him randomly. Richard is a good writer too, but doesn't quite have the first hand experience that Ian had. As for I Am Legend - v - The Shrinking Man, I think I would rather be the last person alive with a hoard of vampires than to be shrinking an inch a day. To lose your friends and family to vampirism would be hard, but to slowly become alienated from everyone and thing you love as you get smaller and smaller... horrible. Also, giant spiders are to be avoided at all costs!
At 4:27 p.m.,
Valpot said…
Yes, I agree - I was going to say the same thing but then thought that my family wouldn't appreciate me prefering that they die rather than me shrink while they live!
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