Customer Reviews

The Abortion: An Historical Romance 1966

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One of Brautigan's best and least known, this book captures the soul and ideals of a dying generation. Richard Brautigan's simple words and weaving prose embrace the reader into an erotic story of life in Brautigan-land. The idea of a library for unpublished books is on of the most outstanding metaphors put onto paper during the twentieth century. Brautigan again tells a story in his own unique way, a true favorite of a select few. To discover Brautigan, The Abortion is a must. To discover life, Brautigan is a must

Richard Brautigan , the beatnick author/poet, has always been the type of writer who's books only leave you with a feeling; the type of books that when people ask you what the book you're reading is about you can only give a puzzled look. (like it was a stupid question.) I think a friend put it best when he said, "Brautigans books are just words; they're a relaxation technique for the mind." Of course, there is more depth and continuity to them than that, but not much. Howere, in his book "The Abortion" Brautigan not only manages to stick to one topic, but to make it nearly as moving as his other novels. "The Abortion" chronicles his life as a librarian. Of course, it is no ordinary library; it is a library where people who can't get their books published can put their works on public display. An obvious, but interesting, metaphor for his own struggle with writing. He doesn't quite capture the same amazing imagery that he did in "Trout Fishing in America". But, for new, or old, fans of Brautigan it is a fine (and linear) novel.

"The Abortion" stands as one of Brautigan's most personal novels, as well as one of his most creative. The book tells the story of a librarian for a library that stocks only books that have never been published, and will never be read. It gives the character satisfaction to stock these books by people who want their one chance to be a writer. Intertwined with this is the story of that same librarian's trip to Mexico for the procedure that is the book's title. In contrast to the humor of the first part of the book, this section is morose, and descriptive. It wraps you in the feelings of the protagonists.

If there is criticism, then, it is that the writing speeds up and slows down periodically. Thus, several chapters may go by with little happening, and then all hell breaks loose. But this is a minor critique; and the reader can always know that the book WILL pick up pace. A definite must for Brautigan fans.

The book is the story of a guy who works at a bizarre library where strange people who can't get their books published bring their books to be registered and stored forever. One night, a girl comes in with a book about how she hates the attention her gorgeous body brings her; she and the main character have sex, become boyfriend and girlfriend, and she gets pregnant. They decide to get an abortion, and arrange to go to Mexico to do so.
The book, although casual in its treatment of abortion--including fetuses being flushed down toilets--does meditate a little bit on what was being lost, when somehow the couple's aborted baby, all grown up, shows up one night with a book full of blank pages, pages never written on, pages she never had a chance to write on. (Richard Brautigan's ambivalence on this subject is also reflected in his poem "The Pill Versus the Springhill Mining Disaster," where he compares birth control and a fatal mine collapse, and says something like:
"All those people...lost inside.")
Richard Brautigan really is a funny guy, though. He's also very much a child of the 1960s, and both his humor and his sixties idealism come through strong in this book.
The main girl has sex with someone she just met, gets an abortion, works at a topless place, and is perfectly happy.
The main guy arranges the abortion, quits his job, lives off his girlfriend, and is perfectly happy.
Politics aside, 1960s aside, this is an enjoyable read, though it ends on a somewhat disappointing note, and any suspense it maintains ends abruptly upon the couple's actual visit to the abortion doctor.
I laughed uncomfortably several times while reading it, but would probably recommend "Trout Fishing in America" over this.

I read this book when it was published. It is all right, but some of the ideas are quite dated (especially some of the ideas about women!). If you want to read something representative of Brautigan's best, I recommend "Trout Fishing in America" or "In Watermelon Sugar".