Customer Reviews

Family Life (New American Fiction Series, 12.)

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3 star:		(1)
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The first novel by Banks, author of "Cloudsplitter" and "The Sweet Hereafter," was published in 1974 and strikes me as utterly indefinable. Is it allegorical, satirical, the experimental work piece of a barely-graduated English major? I'm not quite sure, but this story of a royal family and the kingdom that they inhabit feels like a big mess to me. There are interesting moments, and colorful characters, but most of the action struck me as inexplicable and nonsensical just for the sake of chaos and experimentation, not for any grander reason. Banks is a talented writer, but the shifts between Greek tragedy, Odyssey-like pilgrimmages, modern-day drug-speak, abrupt and graphic gay sex, and the sudden insertion of a short novel written by the wife of an M.I.A. soldier in Vietnam (the same character who appears as the queen in the "real" novel) just left me befuddled and cold. The short sections within the chapters make it a brisk read, but brevity doesn't necessarily make for clarity, or for a pleasurable narrative ride. Great cover photo, though.

Though I loved it this novella is not for everyone. Don't go in expecting "Hereafter" because this is more about the art of language and imagery than some of Banks' page turning plots. I reccomend it to those interested in literature as art because that is where this book shines.

Challenging, experimental, satirical, fun. These are probably the best adjectives to describe Mr. Banks' first book. I definitley feel that this novel is not as well done as many of his other books, yet Family Life provides a unique and philosophical experiment in the writing and reading of novels not seen too often. The main problem I had with this book was "The Tradition of the Bloody Orange - A Paradigm." This was a page-long metaphor which was a little too vague for me to be sure of my translation. I believe it was discussing the pain of birth, life and the relief or release of death. If someone who understood this could please explain their interpretation, it would be greatly appreciated.

I read this book and I can't figure out what Banks was trying to say. I was thoughouly confused for days wondering what was going on. I would love for someone to tell me what it was that I read, becasue I certainly don't know.