Special Topics in Calamity Physics
by Marisha Pessl
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Book Summary Information
Author: Marisha PesslEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2007-04-24
ISBN: 0143112120
Number of pages: 528
Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Book Reviews of Special Topics in Calamity Physics
Book Review: Lighten up and enjoy it for what it is.
Summary: 5 Stars
Don't bother with this book if you don't have a sense of humor, don't bother if you don't like long books, don't bother if you just want plot and a quick read, and don't bother if you prefer a book written in simple, declarative sentences. I adored every word of this novel myself, but I do admit it's not a book for all markets. You are going to like it or loath it.
As I read the reviews here it occurs to me that many readers must have missed Pessl's sly sense of humor (many of Blue's citations are subtle jokes, after all, not pedantry). As for the book's length, well, a good book is never long enough, in my opinion, and the writing here merits 500-plus pages (I've never understood why anyone who likes to read would complain about a book having too many pages!). Whether you like the secondary characters or not (Dad is one of those narcissistic, misogynistic blowhards that infest so many novels...a shallow character it's true, but a father as viewed by his slightly sardonic yet tolerant and affectionate daughter, and so necessarily lacking edges; he's the sort of loser academic who drifts from third-tier college to junior college and on and on, never sticking with one place because he thinks he's too special for the ignorant world -- or is he something else entirely?), and whether or not you find the plot structure derivative, it's Blue's voice that will win you over or chase you off. I liked it, wordiness and all. I found Pessl's writing to be refreshingly loose, fluid, and visual -- not the turgid show-off stuff that you might expect from reading some of the negative reviews. She stumbles in a few places, but that's to be expected in such a young writer.
As for the plot being similar to that of The Secret History, who cares? It's a common enough device -- an aloof and somewhat mysterious group of quirky students wrapped up with a charismatic and/or mysterious teacher. But Pessl has used it here is an original way, and I prefer her writing style to Tartt's. (I re-read Tartt's book after this, just because I'd read The Secret History so long ago, and I wanted to see whether Pessl did pinch the tale. She didn't, and between the two novels Pessl's book wins, hands down.)
I advise readers to stop concentrating on this novel's literary references and read it as the coming-of-age/whodunnit that it is. The Nabokov thing is just a jumping off point for the story, perhaps a flattering nod to those in the know (Blue mentions Nabokov -- and even Lolita specifically -- a few times as a sort of writer's wink). As in any good novel, there are layers and allusions here for those who can catch them, but there's also a good story and some marvelous writing for everyone else. And there is a great deal of humor as well. I thought the "exam" as the last chapter was an awkward device until it dawned on me that it reads like the book club questions you find in paperbacks these days. I do like a writer with a subtle sense of humor.
(nb: The one device that definitely does not work in this novel is Blue's "visual aids." The drawings are just not good enough to add anything. I assume that they are Pessl's own work, since I don't see a credit for an artist. She should have gone with photos, or dropped the whole thing.)
Summary of Special Topics in Calamity Physics
"Dazzling," (People) "Exuberant," (Vogue) "marvelously entertaining," (The Dallas Morning News) Marisha Pessl's mesmerizing debut has critics raving and heralds the arrival of a vibrant new voice in American fiction. At the center of this "cracking good read"4 is clever, deadpan Blue van Meer, who has a head full of literary, philosophical, scientific, and cinematic knowledge. But she could use some friends. Upon entering the elite St. Gallway school, she finds some-a clique of eccentrics known as the Bluebloods. One drowning and one hanging later, Blue finds herself puzzling out a byzantine murder mystery. Nabokov meets Donna Tartt (then invites the rest of the Western Canon to the party) in this novel-with "visual aids" drawn by the author-that has won over readers of all ages.Comic Books
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