Monday, October 27, 2008

Death with Interruptions

Really funny review for the new Jose Saramago book, Death With Interruptions at Radar Online...
Still, Death With Interruptions is a dense read, and feels a bit like an e-mail William Faulkner might write were he in a rush to get out of the office in time for happy hour. The punctuation is way screwy. Saramago's sentences are complex and looong (you may spot a period every two or three pages), and he uses commas like the Smurfs use the word Smurf—as a substitute for everything else. No quotes, colons (semi or otherwise), exclamation points, or paragraphs. The effect can be disorienting, and makes it difficult to read while on the elliptical machine at the gym. Conversely, it does help to provide an excuse for why you are unable to go to the gym.
Here's a more substantial review from the New Yorker...

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