Everything is illuminated

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Dear all,

I might start reading this much talked-about novel by J.S. Foer later in the afternoon but, given that I've got several alternatives, this is the thread where you can say nice things about EII, so that I'll end up picking it.

Go!

― spleen_till_eleuthera, Wednesday, 11 January 2006 12:31 (twenty years ago)

Does that mean you only want to hear nice things?

― Ray (Ray), Wednesday, 11 January 2006 12:37 (twenty years ago)

I didn't like it, although I can't at this point remember it too well. I remember I thought it unengaging and a bit pretentious. Foer has an anxiousness to please that prevents you from disliking him but it never quite crystallises into anything approaching charm. Despite being a short novel by a writer who can write fairly well, it was an effort to get through.

― frankiemachine, Wednesday, 11 January 2006 13:07 (twenty years ago)

I felt compelled to read it all to the end, captured by a strange fascination, even though I can't say I liked it. I thought it was too cold for the subject it approached and the literary consciousness it displayed was far too rigid to me.
It's curious that I was talking about this just five minutes ago with a collegue from my office

― misshajim (strand), Wednesday, 11 January 2006 13:18 (twenty years ago)

mmm, reading "on beauty" instead is growing into a distinct possibility....

― spleen_till_eleuthera, Wednesday, 11 January 2006 13:54 (twenty years ago)

It's such a blatant 'I've just graduated with a major in creative writing' novel. Every arsey stylistic trick in the book is thrown in, very few stick.

That said, it's fairly entertaining.

― chap who would dare to work for the man (chap), Wednesday, 11 January 2006 15:13 (twenty years ago)

I had a hard time getting into "Illuminated" also. But I really liked "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close." (Even tho' you didn't ask). I thought all the stylistic gimmicks in this one wowrked very well.

― pepektheassassin (pepektheassassin), Wednesday, 11 January 2006 16:15 (twenty years ago)

i rather like it: having chops is no bad thing

haven't read the new one yet.

his short story - "a primer on familial punctuation", or something like - is very good.

― tom west (thomp), Wednesday, 11 January 2006 18:38 (twenty years ago)

Definitely read On Beauty in preference. It's riddled with faults, but for all that the work of someone with a born talent for writing novels, as opposed to someone making a modest talent stretch far by being clever and having a good education and work ethic. It has believable characters in it who aren't just versions of the author. It's more interested in people than ideas. And its a lot more fun to read.

― frankiemachine, Wednesday, 11 January 2006 18:54 (twenty years ago)

I have slowly been reading this, coming back to it during many other books, and like others have said, it's really cold
maybe it's because of it being Foer's first but he does seem a little enamored with himself at points, he has to learn to at least leave a lil opening for the reader to get into the story

― J. Lamphere (WatchMeJumpStart), Wednesday, 11 January 2006 22:46 (twenty years ago)

Ok, eventually I discarded both EII (for good, I think) and "On Beauty" (for the time being), picking Walter Mosley's "The Man in My Basement" instead.

Your help was greatly appreciated, thanks!

― spleen_till_eleuthera, Friday, 13 January 2006 17:13 (twenty years ago)

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