On language and writing

THE IDIOT by Elif Batuman appealed because of its cast of characters:

• Selin, daughter of Turkish immigrants beginning her undergraduate studies at Harvard
• Svetlana, a classmate from Serbia and
• Ivan, an older mathematics student from Hungary.

The time period, 1995, and setting - both in Boston and across Europe – also grabbed interest as I began reading and reflecting on college experiences, the efforts to find oneself, and to establish adult relationships. However, I soon felt that Selin was a little too self-centered; although clearly very introspective and clever. Here is an example of her mind at work: “I was thinking about the structural equivalencies between a tissue box and a book: both consisted of slips of white paper in a cardboard case; yet – and this was ironic – there was very little functional equivalence, especially if the book wasn’t yours.” After a time, Selin’s frequent musings did seem less amusing and began to grate, slowing down the story, even though  Batuman is an award winning author who provides a thoughtful commentary on culture, language and “adulting.”

Booklist, Kirkus and Publishers Weekly all gave starred reviews to this semi-autobiographical debut novel and despite its being over 400 pages, I am curious to see if any of our Senior English classes will decide to explore this unique text. 

 BLEAKER HOUSE by Nell Stevens is also about language, writing and finding oneself. She subtitles this memoir “Chasing My Novel to the End of the World” and describes her experiences during a three month fellowship writing on Bleaker Island in the Falklands.  I have to be honest and say I was a little jealous of her ability to get completely away and write in isolation. Granted, she must forego Internet access and lists some “Habits I am being forced to break: Wondering: ‘What year was so-and-so born?’ .... Or any other general, non-urgent but niggling questions, and looking it up at once. Instead, I start a WORD document listing all the things I’d Google if I could: a sprawling, eclectic list of idle curiosity ....”  

I also really enjoyed her observations of the desolation of the Falkland Islands: “I walk for hours and see only monosyllables: cliffs, birds, waves, sand, sheep, rock, moss.” Future writers, travel enthusiasts and anyone with an active imagination should read the excerpt from BLEAKER HOUSE provided by the publisher and then turn to the book itself; there is also a Reading Guide for this debut work which will appeal to book groups.