#29: The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon (2000, 639 pages)
What a novel! I started reading this book in late January and finally finished on the last day of March. I'll remember it as a book I struggled with and wanted to give up on, but I stuck with it and am glad I did. The end was so rewarding! It certainly challenged me though, not a breezy beach read by any stretch. I felt like I missed the disclaimer like what you’d see on an amusement park ride: "You must be this intelligent to read this book."
It's not the plot that is overly complicated: It’s the late 1930’s. Sammy Clay and Joe Kavalier are cousins, a couple of Jewish boys living in New York. Joe emigrated from Prague, leaving his family behind with the hope of bringing them over when funds and politics allowed. Joe is a gifted artist and Sammy a talented writer and they find success in comic books, inventing the masked hero The Escapist. It's the cusp of the Golden Age of comics. Sidenote: I have a thing for comic books that I can’t explain – I’m delighted and disgusted by them at the same time. I didn’t have them growing up, but I’ve been dabbling as an adult. I’m sure a true devotee of comics would find this book even more enjoyable than I did.
What made the book worth it for me was Sammy and Joe's relationship. Like any relationship, it required an investment of my time and effort to appreciate it. I finished the book feeling as though my time with cherished friends had come to an end. One of my favorite quotes happened in the final chapters:
"Joe, you idiot," Sammy said. "We love you." Joe put his hand on Sammy's shoulder and shrugged, nodding as if to say, yes, he had acted like an idiot. And that would be it for them, Rosa thought. Twelve years of nothing, a curt declaration, a shrug of apology, and those two would be as good as new.
Male friendship! It's a beautiful thing.
The structure is what slowed me down and there's a lot that can be said about Chabon's writing style. He is just full of words! The guy must read the dictionary and thesaurus for fun. I listed below a small sample of the words I had never heard of. See how many you know. He also employs rich descriptions of how things smell, the origins of a golden toothpick, historical and cultural references (many of which were over my head) and the deep feelings of characters. This richness of text seemed overdone at first and it took 75% of the book for me to fall into Chabon's rhythm - but then I was chewing on the text and savoring phrases like "the corrosion that had been worked on his inner wiring for so long" and "the sky as blue as a Nash and cloudless but for one lost lamb overhead." It's all quite brilliant actually.
I wish I could recommend this to everyone, but I know it’s not for everyone. It’s a commitment of at least 200 pages or more before juices start flowing, and some of you may not have the time or patience for it. But if you do decide to take the plunge (or have already), let’s talk about it!
Thanks for reading,
Kyle
New Word List
rictus - a fixed grimace or grin
aetataureate - of or belonging to a golden age (made up word)
aubergine - eggplant
obdurate - stubbornly refusing to change one's opinion or course of action
parturition - the action of giving birth to young; childbirth
prurient - having or encouraging an excessive interest in sexual matters
trayf – (of food) not satisfying the requirements of Jewish law
tergiversations - evasion of straightforward action or clear-cut statement
putto - a representation of a naked child, especially a cherub or a cupid in Renaissance art
rime - frost formed on cold objects by the rapid freezing of water vapor in cloud or fog
luftmensch - an impractical contemplative person having no definite business or income
suppurating - undergo the formation of pus; fester
taffeta - a fine lustrous silk or similar synthetic fabric with a crisp texture
termagancy - the quality or state of being termagant : habitual bad temper : scolding disposition
inure - accustom (someone) to something, especially something unpleasant
orotund - (of the voice or phrasing) full, round, and imposing
dilatory – slow to act
lacunae - an unfilled space or interval; a gap
defenestration - the action of throwing someone out of a window OR the action of dismissing someone from a position of power or authority