Customer Reviews

Third Eye

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is a wonderful book. I got it late Saturday afternoon, read about two thirds of it, reluctantly went to sleep, then quickly completed it on Sunday morning despite having my own writing to do. The Third Eye is a rarity, a truly metaphysical fiction. One thinks of Borges but Knowles is capable of a more prolonged narrative than Borges and lacks his nihilism. The Third Eye plays on the edge of the supernatural at times but always stays a realistic novel though provoking the reader to ponder the nature of reality and its representation in the mind and in art. If this sounds like dull post-modernism, it is not. The characters are human and we care about them. One of the subjects of the book is contemporary art, which by and large I detest, but Knowles makes it actually sound interesting. Hindu and Buddhist philosophy play a central role but are fully integrated into the story. Don't be put off by the novel's philosophical dimension; there are also good food and beautiful women. David Knowles is an exciting new talent - I eagerly anticipate his next book.

"Yes, yes, yes!" I said to myself when I read the jacket of "The Third Eye." Don't get me wrong, I'm no weirdo, but in this age of reality-based voyeuristic entertainment ("Survivor," MTV's "The Real World") I thought it would be great to see the other side of the situation, to spy on the watcher as opposed to the watched.

Unfortunately, "The Third Eye" didn't quite live up to my rising expectations. The book is basically the memoir of Jefferson, the photographer trying to put together his thoughts on his enigmatic fifth tenant, Maya, a beautiful and confident Indian woman who drove him crazy by never being home and possibly uncovering his deceitful plans.

Jefferson is quite a character, an aesthetic perfectionist who analyzes seating patterns of patrons in libraries, among other things. But his quest for the truth is missing one important facet: Maya. Because they barely ever interact, we only get Jefferson's take on what's going on and are not able to theorize much ourselves. Jefferson as the narrator is spinning out of control, and we have no choice but to follow him.

The "third eye" of the title refers to the red dot that a propective sub-letter wears between her eyebrows. Our slightly warped but endearing narrator Jefferson chooses "victims" to sublet his apartment so he can spy on them and use them as subjects for his reality based art. Although the story sounds twisted, Knowles is so terribly clever that he resists the tawdry.

This is a tremendous novel -- Knowles gets almost everything right. First of all, the New York stuff is right on -- the eateries, the snobbery, the housing market, the 42nd street library, etc.... As a native New Yorker myself, I loved the New Yorkiness of this book right down to the narrator's odd food cravings and penchant for gourmet wine.

I also loved the understated hyper education level of the narrator. The resulting dialogue is at times hilarious. Take for example this excerpt in which he is explaining to a prospective tenant about his background in classical music, "When I was a young boy, six or seven, I'd stand in front of the mirror holding a pair of chopticks like two conductor's batons. I'd wave the things around in the air listening to whole symphonies. I memorized Beethoven's Fifth from start to finish. Got pretty good at making up my own signals." With no comment at all, the girl replies, "When I was six I listened to ABBA and Air Supply." End of joke and dialogue continues. Knowles doesn't have to play extra hard for the laugh because he writes such good dialogue.

At times you'll feel like you're in the mind of a serial killer, but actually the narrator is far more benign than that -- just a little voyeuristic in his search for art. Though evil lurks in the background, it never becomes ugly and the joke turns on our narrator.

I loved this book and highly recommend it to anyone looking for a suspensful, New Yorky read.

David Knowles writes in a style that provokes the reader to stop and think. Sometimes his ideas are a little too psychedelic, expecially when he starts to ponder the bounderies of time and space. However, his insights on art appreciation are interesting. Not to mention that the tale he weaves is increadlibly absorbing. The plot is straightforward. A man sublets his apartment every summer to a beautiful girl and then he watches her and photographs her from accross the street. However, as "The Third Eye" unfolds, the reader is taken beyond the plot into the protagonist's mind in a most intriguing way. I couldn't put it down and I finished it in two sittings. If you're fond of metaphysical fiction this is a great read. If you enjoyed this I highly recommend Tim Krabbe's "The Vanishing", Douglas Cooper's "Amnesia", and Sylvia Browrigg's "The Metaphysical Touch".

I loved this book. A friend recommended it to me, and I went through it one sitting. It's very gripping and intelligent, and weaves a story of Indian mysticism, contemporary art and voyerism into a tight little package. After finishing it I went on-line and got his first book, The Secrets of the Camera Obscura. Just as good, though I think I prefer The Third Eye. If you like stories that move fast and have a give you a lot to think about later, this author might appeal.

Apart from the intriguing ethical considerations raised concerning the practice of voyeurism as a means of creating more "realistic" art, author David Knowles has created a character and situation in "The Third Eye" that force the reader to examine issues of control, privacy and obsession in our modern world. While we are all voyeurs to a certain extent, at the same time we are often keenly aware of how we appear to others and we gear our actions accordingly. But how much actual control do we have over the view of our true selves? And do we intentionally blur the line between the real and the staged in our daily activities?

Jefferson, the novel's protagonist and self-professed "curator of the aesthetics of everyday life", isn't your ordinary Peeping Tom. Each summer he rents out his apartment to an unsuspecting young lady, then heads to the building across the street and a boarded-up apartment. Through a hole in one of the windows, Jefferson photographs his tenants, capturing their most private moments on film and calling his work a "conceptual art project". He wants to eradicate the boundaries between life and art but his actions are the only way he has of coping with a case of agoraphobia so severe he cannot even walk through Central Park.

His tenant this summer is Maya Vanasi, a Hindu woman possessing a bindi, or "third eye" - a red dot in the center of her forehead, which Maya tells Jefferson is a window to the soul. For Jefferson, the bindi marks the beginning of an obsession and an eventual end to his summer occupation.

Taunt prose and a well-paced unraveling of a creepy yet fascinating story define this excellent novel which chronicles one man's insistent need to frame another's life, a need that ultimately leads him into a sea of questions concerning matters of faith, darkness and perception - both his and that of others.

An appartment is sublet to a carefully screened and beautiful young lady each summer by Jefferson. He disappears and over the next two months he secretly photographs them from a boarded-up building across the street. His latest and most beautiful tenant to date is Maya, an Indian lady with a red dot on her forehead who exudes a magical power that Jefferson cannot resit. Maya moves into the appartment, but disappears.

This is an eerie, suspenseful tale that will make you think twice next time you decide to rent an appartment. I loved the writing style and I could almost see the painting that was so vividly described in the appartment.

A quick easy recommended book.

It is very rare that a book REALLY makes me think the The Third Eye did. The main character, Henry, is clearly a voyer, but has somehow convinced himself that what he is doing is ok. At times, he almost convinced me! Knowles writing is so real that it was like he was getting inside my mind- just as he got inside the unknowing strangers lives. It is a short book and a fascinating one. I recommend it to anyone.

Beautifully-painted portrait of the hyperreality of New York art and existence. And a very thrilling story, too.

Aren't you supposed to like the narrator in a book? Isn't there supposed to be something about the character that's compelling? That makes you care about them?

Mr. Knowles doesn't seem to think so. I'd rather curl up with the warm-hearted soul of Hannibal Lecter than this guy.

Dull, cold--without humor or light. Not my cup of tea.