Witold Gombrowicz, Cosmos ****

Strange and abstract, indescribable, but I really like it. As befits its title, Cosmos has something to say about man's place in the universe. In the first half of the "story" I am intrigued by how the narrator seeks meaning in the connections between random events; in the second half I like Leon's approach to living a private mental life in full view of his family.

This is the second time I've read Cosmos. The first time I read a version that was apparently an English translation from the French version of the story. This time I read a new translation that comes directly from the Polish. While the new translation is surely more accurate to the original, I must admit that I prefer the earlier translation. I see how Gombrowicz's repetitive, list-based prose suits the subject matter, but I found it distracting.

Sam Lipsyte, The Ask ***

Lipsyte is a very funny writer who smuggles insights into his caustic descriptions. I loved the first chapter of The Ask, whose main character works in the fundraising department of a small arts university. ("Mr Ramadathan had mortgaged his electronics store so his son could craft affecting screenplays about an emotionally distant, workaholic immigrant's quest for the American dream.") But alas, the story was weak and many of the characters too quirky by half. It was especially disappointing given the strength of the writing on a paragraph-by-paragraph level. I'm sure I'll check out Lipsyte's other books after adjusting my expectations accordingly.

Steven Millhauser, Martin Dressler ****

I read (and reviewed) Martin Dressler once before. I stand by my comments from that earlier review, but I had to add one more star because (a) the tone and atmosphere of the book stayed with me in the years since I first read it and (b) I enjoyed it more the second time around, probably because I knew in advance that it was going to take a turn into magical realism.

Martin Dressler actually resonates well with the book I read immediately before it, Tom McCarthy's C. Like C, Martin Dressler features a character whose main defining feature is the way he thinks. Serge Carrefax saw the world in a two-dimensional "plan" view; Martin Dressler sees everything as "a great, elaborate structure, a system of order, a well-planned machine." Neither book attempts much more characterization than that.

The tone and atmosphere of the book are its greatest draws, and they derive largely from the accumulation of 19th century period detail, an "internal eclecticism."  The greatest drawback is a static quality to the prose and to the story, which I mentioned in my earlier review. Martin didn't really develop as a character, resulting in a certain repetitiveness; for example, the development of the New Dressler Hotel wasn't much different from the development of the original Dressler Hotel and probably could have been omitted.

Tom McCarthy, C *** 1/2

C is the latest novel by Tom McCarthy, whose previous book Remainder is one of my all-time favorites. C didn't speak to me in the same (inexplicable) way, but it shows McCarthy's range and confirms that he is a very good writer.

The main character is Serge Carrefax, born around the turn of the 20th century on an English estate where his mother produces silk and his father runs a school for deaf children. The story follows Serge from his childhood through his tour as a pilot during World War I to his post-war adventures.

Despite spending so much time with Serge, we don't really get a good sense of his character other than his tendency to see the world in a two-dimensional "plan view." However, I did get a good sense of the places Serge goes to. McCarthy creates several impressive set pieces: at the estate, at a German health spa, on the war front, in post-war Egypt. He has some grand themes just below the surface of the story, but even if you ignore (or miss) them, the settings were interesting and entertaining for their own sake.

I look forward to McCarthy's next book.