How high can you put your tag

[threemonkeys]

Jonathan Lethem occupies a funny place in the speculative fiction world. Stylistically he belongs in the area that bookshops place on shelves labelled "modern literature" - and in fact that is where you will find his books. But in his work he has consistently also used story elements and themes from SF. Over the years he has produced a series of small highly readable, stylish novels that sit comfortably in both camps. Or to but it another way - he becomes the face of the other style - to the lit readers he is the acceptable face of SF. To SF readers he does the same for "literature"*.

So we come to Fortress of Solitude. Well there is a speculative fiction element to the story but it is almost incidental. This is a story of childhood, coming of age and coming to terms with that childhood. It is a sweep through life and the setting of life. As such, there is no doubt that Lethem is trying to create a work that will be taken really seriously - something that might get a Booker nomination. It has that feeling of a major novel. I kept thinking of the likes of Ulysses or The Bone People when I was reading it. I think the parallels are valid, because I think that such comparisons are entirely intended. Whether it really stacks up is another matter - one I don't feel qualified to make. It was a pleasant enough read, but it didn't blow me away - but then neither did Ulysses nor The Bone People.

I'll just crawl back into my genre ghetto now.


* The justification of why one particular style of literature should own the label "literature" has always slipped just beyond my grasp. I know the perpetrators of it think of themselves as the only serious form of writing but that is hardly an excuse in my opinion. I don't think this is an inverse snobbery on my part, but I won't exclude the possibility either.

Comments

[i-ate-my-crusts.livejournal.com]

(thanks for pointing me at this!)