Customer Reviews

Peripheral Vision

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This book is much like a flower. As a shoot, it's pleasant enough. As it buds and then begins to bloom, however, it becomes much more complex and beautiful. All of the characters are interesting, and their lives intersect in a multitude of ways that do not become fully clear until the very end, which adds suspense to the literary pleasure.

My one complaint about the book is that it seemed to rush to its conclusions at the end, whereas it grew on you slowly, slowly in the beginning. It seemed to me that the author suddenly felt like she was coming up on her page limit and decided to wrap everything up in a bit of a hurry.

This book is about self-delusion and finding clear vision. It is non-linear in time and thought. I found it helpful to just let go and let the author move me back and forth in time and space and between characters. It is all tied together at the end, but I urge the reader NOT to skip to the end to find out exactly how. Unlike her characters (at least at first), Ferguson is very perceptive about human nature and desire. The reader watches as these interesting and varied people learn to understand themselves -- or, in some cases, don't. I highly recommend this book.

Peripheral Vision starts out slowly. Ferguson's style tends to be more telling than showing, or perhaps it's simply more narrative than action. By chapter four I was confused. I didn't see any connection to the characters from one chapter to the next. I persevered, but it was slow going. Despite that, her characters became compelling to me. Although Sylvia is the main character, according to the back cover blurb, I found Iris and Ruby to be more compelling. The only thing that kept me reading was wondering how all these characters were connected. About two thirds of the way through there was a hint of connections. By this time the characters had also managed to become "real" to me and continuing was easy. By the time I finished this book I had to agree with the back blurb: "Peripheral Vision is a funny and clever novel about love and the lack of it; about motherhood, sight, and insight; and about the different ways we experience and transcend suffering."

One of the really great things about this novel is that I could not guess what was going to happen next. Nothing was predictable. At the same time, nothing that happened seemed wrong or forced. It all seemed natural. The story wrapped things up at the end, but not in a tidy little box. I like stories with a beginning, middle and end, but I don't like formulaic or 'pat' endings. I also don't care for stories that leave me wondering as much at the end as I did at the beginning. Peripheral Vision manages to find that middle ground.

I was very impressed with this book and it's crisp, at times very witty prose. The theme of vision is cleverly elaborated on a number of levels, not the least in the ever shifting perspective of the narrative voice. I found the characters deeply touching, especially the plight of Ruby, and seldom have I been so glad about a fictional rescue as I was when her husband came to her aid. I agree with another reviewer that the end of the book didn't quite satisfy, for example, I would have liked to know more about George's adult life and why his girlfriend resembled Iris. But the final passage about Rob and the way he feels close to Iris when he is flying was really convincing.

LOVED this book, and it was a 100% hit with my book club. SO well written. I didn't want it to end and actually rationed my pages to prolong the experience. Very talented writer. Highly recommend.

I got through this plodding book. Finished it and could have cared less about any of the characters.
Why I actually read the whole book is because I am a reader who likes closure. Why I spent so much trying to like this book is beyond me.