Friday, January 30, 2015

Jenny Offill, Dept. of Speculation **** 1/2

Antelopes have 10x vision, you said. It was the beginning or close to it. This means that on a clear night they can see the rings of Saturn.
This first paragraph hooked me: an interesting "fact" followed by a thought-provoking and somewhat humorous commentary. The whole (short) book consists of these sorts of lapidary tidbits.
I found a book called Thriving Not Surviving in a box on the street. I stood there, flipping through it, unwilling to commit.
Dept. Of Speculation tells a conventional story about marriage and parenthood using unconventional means. The style reminded me of Wittgenstein's Mistress, although applied to a traditional plot. Reviewers keep mentioning Renata Adler's Speedboat, which I suppose I'll have to check out.
Of course it [parenthood] is difficult. You are creating a creature with a soul, my friend says.
Despite the detached prose style, Offill manages to convey both positive and negative emotions strongly.  

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