Customer Reviews

Zeno Was Here

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

 

 

Clearly the author has followed the old adage: write what you know. Not only is this book about writing, it basically tells you how to interpret the book; a perfect fit for a teacher, and I assume she is an English teacher. Every plot twist or symbol used in the plot is first discussed by the characters. While I actually enjoyed the basic concept of the book quite a bit and think it is very well written, I began to resent being hit over the head with the internal critique telling me exactly what the plot twists mean.

I have to explain why I picked this book up and why I read it. First, the title Zeno Was Here, got me wondering about Zeno's paradox and whether he could every say he was anyplace. I assume that is exactly what the author wanted me to wonder, which is another obvious device that one would expect from an English teacher. The reason I continued to read it was the question the main character is asking himself at the opening of this novel: How do we know this is a poem? The corollary, how do we know this is a novel? is easily answered: the author tells us repeatedly it's a novel and exactly how to interpret it. Read it for the writing and the interesting plot, but don't fall into the trap of thinking about it! The author has already done that for us.

When I read this book eight years ago I would have rated it at 4 - fascinating and stimulating. Now, however, on second reading, I struggle to give it a 2. Basically I just don't like the characters. The only male, John, is wishy washy - has faced a failing marriage for years and yet has done nothing about it - and the only action here is to find a confidant and turn them into an affair. His wife is appalling, unrealistically negative - does she have no redeeming features? Then there is Geneva - another struggling female despite her smart-alec, erudite appearance, with two awful daughters - arethey supposed to be clever too. And the one redeeming female spoils her copybook by being bowled over in her friendship by sex - as if that is all that can turn a female from a friend to someone with love in them! But as she slipped in my respect - well, I'll leave that to the reader to discover ......