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threemonkeysPart of my plan for my time off is to spend a good chunk of time every day doing some sort of physical activity. With particular emphasis on the tangle that I laughingly refer to as a garden. Yesterday I was thwarted by the weather. Today I was almost thwarted by the overwhelming desire to finish Parable of the Sower and Parable of the Talents by Octavia Butler. These two books have been on my to-read shelf for ages but I kept putting off reading them. Maybe because the copies I have are a bit scruffy - yes it makes a difference, especially when the books are printed on poor quality paper. Or maybe the reason is that the good number of Butler novels I had read previously told me that while worthwhile, reading these books would be an intense experience. In any case, her recent death has prodded me into reading these books and they certainly proved worth the reading.
The story of Parable of the Sower is about the breakdown of society. This isn't something written about very often. Many authors have dealt with the post-breakdown scenario and used it as a place to set stories, but I can only think of a few where the actual process of society disintegrating is looked at. Also, written about a decade ago, this book is starting to look a bit disturbingly prophetic. It is told through the eyes, or more precisely the diaries, of a young woman who sees the fall and survives it with a vision of how regrowth can happen. This book is her very personal journey through the chaos. It is a journey which reveals so much about the character as well as the story of the world. The writing reveals a complicated, driven, charismatic and flawed character - I don't have enough adjectives to describe all the facets revealed. There is real power and real feeling here. There are other characters but they are just scenery swept along by the vivid personality of the lead.
The sequel Parable of the Talents picks up a few years after the first book and completes the story. It suffers a little from a "more of the same" feeling about the story. But to compensate, it has an occasional second voice added. This voice acts as a counterpoint in hindsight view of the main character and adds thus gives more insights into her character. For this alone, it make it that rarest of animals - a sequel as good as the first book.
These two books are not an easy read. Not at all because of the beautiful clear language and storytelling but because of their emotional intensity and the rather chilling future they portray. Read them anyway.
The story of Parable of the Sower is about the breakdown of society. This isn't something written about very often. Many authors have dealt with the post-breakdown scenario and used it as a place to set stories, but I can only think of a few where the actual process of society disintegrating is looked at. Also, written about a decade ago, this book is starting to look a bit disturbingly prophetic. It is told through the eyes, or more precisely the diaries, of a young woman who sees the fall and survives it with a vision of how regrowth can happen. This book is her very personal journey through the chaos. It is a journey which reveals so much about the character as well as the story of the world. The writing reveals a complicated, driven, charismatic and flawed character - I don't have enough adjectives to describe all the facets revealed. There is real power and real feeling here. There are other characters but they are just scenery swept along by the vivid personality of the lead.
The sequel Parable of the Talents picks up a few years after the first book and completes the story. It suffers a little from a "more of the same" feeling about the story. But to compensate, it has an occasional second voice added. This voice acts as a counterpoint in hindsight view of the main character and adds thus gives more insights into her character. For this alone, it make it that rarest of animals - a sequel as good as the first book.
These two books are not an easy read. Not at all because of the beautiful clear language and storytelling but because of their emotional intensity and the rather chilling future they portray. Read them anyway.
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Date: 2006-04-05 04:09 am (UTC)