Crudo – A Novel

Pagato troppo..l.

This book was definitely crudo! it was absolutely delicious, and I devoured it. Laing’s writing style in this book was so unique.“Kathy, by which I mean I, was getting married.”Sometimes, experimental writing makes its mark.The narrator, by which I mean, Kathy makes things up on the fly and when doing so, the veracity of the current province of society is unveiled. Crudo, somewhat made me think of, John Boyne’s new book, A Ladder To The Sky. Although, I’ve not read it, I did read the premise, and both books are about writers who pull in stories by watching people. Stealing stories, so to speak.Laing, by which I mean, Kathy, if Kathy was still alive, or was it Kathy Acker... touched on some very important themes. She talks about loneliness, gender, addiction, marriage, travel, obsessions with social media, the President, and a great deal more.I can’t say too much without spoiling it for others, being that it is such a slim read. Nonetheless, I will say that it was very much an interesting and important read, and I’m glad I picked it up.

Interesting, smart, moving and cozy. I loved this novel!!!

Almost a work of meta-fiction, this is Laing's first foray into fiction, but it is really more of a screed, a cry of frustration. The summer of 2017 is a scorcher in more ways than one for her. She is getting married for the first time at the age of 40, and is preparing shortly thereafter to return to New York to teach, so she is addressing both Brexit and the anticipation of living in the U.S. under the Trump administration. Her feelings about the man echo many of ours (constant questioning of how did this happen), and she does it so eloquently: "This is how it is, then. Walking backward into disaster, braying all the way.") It is also an examination of mature love, in her marriage to a poet 29 years her senior. Theirs is a true companionship. Through him she examines the place of art in the modern world, but her character's vocation as a novelist apparently does not completely reflect her own history, but that of someone else. She apparently wrote this quickly, it being published nine months following the fictionalized events of her own life. In many ways the style and content reminded me of this year's output by Rachel Cusk and Ali Smith. But she is angrier. This truly is the Zeitgeist novel of the year.

I found this book severely lacking in something - effort? A plan? Structure? I can appreciate innovation, but this seems like just an unplanned, unedited stream of consciousness about the lives of wealthy idle people. Mentions of current events are interspersed throughout but not perceptibly linked to the personal activities of the characters. I do not recommend this book.