What first started to better my feeling of the novel was how I could identify with the narrator at times. I was glad to know that someone else disliked blow-dryers, or that an aversion to small talk in the restroom was completely reasonable. In this way, I began to like the book. What really turned me around, though, was the attention to and appreciation of detail, and the seemingly mundane. Some things I started the novel already appreciating, such as paper towels, and escalators. I liked seeing normal things in different light, and the scenes he created of everyday life. One of my favorite passages was that describing his insomnia, especially with the sheep, having been ordered, travelling all day to jump over a fence for him. I grew to like the novel through scenes like this.
The detail presented in the book was at first onerous, but, I grew to love it through the details I could relate to. I then had a greater appreciation for other things I had given no thought whatsoever to, the greatest example being perforation. So, I grew from being annoyed by a passage on the history of the straw, and not particularly caring for it, to growing a greater appreciation for so many of the generic parts of life. I admired Baker for having put so much thought into these things. I probably would not have thought twice about my shoelaces breaking a day apart. This proved to be a very creative work, and I grew to enjoy it in the end through the little details.
I also found the best part of this book was finding little things to relate to and realizing you're not the only one that thinks about them. It's cool you grew to appreciate Baker's style and I agree with your description of this writing style being endearing in a way. My favorite part was Howie's thoughts while Tina took a phone call, wondering whether he should leave since they had only been making small talk. I found this to be a very relatable dilemma (and also his mention of changing the date for the stamp on the office desk because this is something I have to do pretty often at my job and it seriously stresses me out-- I always mess it up somehow!).
ReplyDeleteI definitely understand your struggles towards the start of the book. In the beginning, I too questioned the validity of Baker's writing style; it seemed like a compilation of mundane thoughts, loosely strung together with almost no real correlation to each other. However, moving forward with the book, it became really easy for me to appreciate Baker's style too. The novel is not simply steam-of-consciousness, as I first believed it to be. Baker is actively putting thought into the objects and practices he writes about as well as about how he expresses these ideas. I especially enjoyed your point about the ability to relate with several of Baker's points when he goes off on tangents. Baker does a good job expressing the nuances of daily life in footnotes and the text itself, rather than just going off on random tangents every once in a while. In a sense, he uses his footnotes strategically to connect with the reader. This provides for a fresh, relatable novel full of creativity and 'ah ha!' moments.
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting to see how people's reactions to this book have been so varied. It seems that half the readers enjoyed it at the start and then lost interest, while the other half was confused before gradually growing to appreciate the novel. I fell somewhere in the middle, appreciating some of the early parts, losing it somewhat in the middle, and then enjoying the ending again. I suppose that, as you said, it all depends on which details and digressions we can relate to.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you completely! Starting out I was having such a hard time going through it because it did seem to drag on, what seemed to me to be unnecessary details, especially the footnotes. After a while though, and progressing through our class discussions, I have to say that I really did enjoy how funny Baker could be at times, and how truly relatable he was. The hand drier section and the avoiding his colleague by not going on the escalator section were the moments that I really understood Baker's style and footnotes. I would still think twice about reading another book of this kind that isn't plot-driven, just because it's still not what I'm used to, but I definitely did grow to enjoy this book a lot.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you completely! Starting out I was having such a hard time going through it because it did seem to drag on, what seemed to me to be unnecessary details, especially the footnotes. After a while though, and progressing through our class discussions, I have to say that I really did enjoy how funny Baker could be at times, and how truly relatable he was. The hand drier section and the avoiding his colleague by not going on the escalator section were the moments that I really understood Baker's style and footnotes. I would still think twice about reading another book of this kind that isn't plot-driven, just because it's still not what I'm used to, but I definitely did grow to enjoy this book a lot.
ReplyDeleteThis book is definitely a step out of my comfort zone and I completely relate to what you say in your blog post. The extreme scrutiny of everyday objects was mind-boggling and I often had a hard time understanding what exactly he was trying to describe after a certain point. Yet, over time, I began to find passages within the text that struck a chord with me. For example, when people stand in your way when you are trying to get past them or, like you said, the unpopular hand dryers that are in almost every bathroom. While I probably wouldn't go into as much depth when describing an object, reading about it in a new light was very refreshing and made this book even more enjoyable.
ReplyDeleteI loved the Mezzanine from the get go, largely because I like looking at the little things in life (straws, elevators, etc.) and thinking about them, so Howie and I thought had very similar thought processes. I was actually surprised by the amount of people who had initial apprehension to the novel...I figured that there would be more people like me who immediately associated with Howie, rather than the vast majority of people who developed what I would describe as more of a tolerance towards Howie, rather than a connection or mutual understanding like I had.
ReplyDeleteBtw, nice blog background. I may have to dress up one of our miniature goats like that for Halloween... :)