"But the actual reason I like to use animals is because they help me tell my tale. People are cynical about people, but less so about wild animals. A rhinoceros dentist elicits less skepticism, in some ways, than a German dentist. I also use animals in my fiction because people rarely see animals as they truly are, biologically. Rather, they tend to project human traits onto them, seeing nobility in one species, cowardice in another, and so on. This is biological nonsense, of course; every species is and behaves as it needs to in order to survive. But this animal-as-canvas quality is useful for a storyteller. It means that an animal that people feel kindly towards becomes a character that readers feel kindly towards." - Yann Martel
I read Beatrice and Virgil by Yann Martel a little after the hardcover release last year. I hated it. For a variety of reasons that I did not even take the time to write down so great was my consternation at the book I had just closed. But I knew other bloggers who enjoyed it the first time out or who developed a greater appreciation of the book after a second reading like Marie at Boston Bibliophile so when the opportunity for a re-read presented itself, I decided to begin anew with this one. Sigh. I hated it even more than the first time around.
The quote above from a post-publication interview with Martel is a useful tip-off as to one of the problems here. The author's gross underestimation of the intelligence of his readers. Apparently I need to be tricked or manipulated into perceiving the essence of his characters. And this manipulation of my biased perceptions will be achieved through an "artistic" representation of the Holocaust that boasts a talking donkey and his howler monkey friend traveling across a giant shirt together while they engage in a dialogue intended to hint at the near impossibility of language to convey the atrocity of such a mass extermination. A dialogue that is an audacious act of thievery from Beckett that could hardly be construed as tribute to the source. But as I have difficulty tempering my natural cynicism about human characters, it should be assumed that my limited vision would miss the Beckett butchery.
Ron Charles of The Washington Post did an excellent job of illustrating the problems with this dialogue in his review of the book.
"Virgil: We've done nothing wrong! But speaking of which, what day is it today?
"Beatrice: Saturday.
"Virgil: I thought it was Friday.
"Beatrice: Maybe it's Sunday.
"Virgil: I think it's Tuesday.
"Beatrice: Is it possibly Monday?
"Virgil: Perhaps it's Wednesday.
"Beatrice: It must be Thursday then.
"Virgil: God help us. "(Pause)
"Virgil: I can't take much more of this."
[Insert own joke here.]
Before we arrive at this part of the book though, we begin with a renowned writer, Henry, whose latest book has not found favor with his publisher after five years of work. He escapes his frustrations by taking off with his wife to an unnamed large city where he attempts to exorcise his creative demons by walking dogs and taking music lessons and engaging in conversations with a taxidermist who by way of introduction mailed Henry a copy of a Flaubert short story and his own play about a monkey and a donkey as spoken of above. Sigh. Self-referential in an obvious way. Rife with literary allusions that serve no purpose other than to alert us that the author has knowledge of said writers. Simply ridiculous. And to add insult to injury, it is boring. One cannot even delight in its badness.
The book boasts a few lovely moments that leave one craving a re-read of Life of Pi, but they are too few to justify reading this mess. I hate to say this but the book reeks of...well, laziness. As if native ability is enough. That detail conscious execution is not necessary. Martel's intentions have such potential that reading through this leaves me disappointed. And wondering where his editor was.
And by the way, the publishers are offering a copy of this book to a US resident via this post. (Stop laughing.) Express your interest in a comment and one of my kids will pick a name on Friday.
The lovely folks at TLC Book Tours invited me to read for this one (and may never contact me again). You may read other opinions through this link.
