Tuesday 23 January 2007

Bali: Paradise Lost? bookcover; Pluto PressReview: Bali: Paradise Lost?, Emma Tom (2006)

What can I say?

I only read about twenty pages of this narrative, written (disconcertingly) in the second person. Your attention skitters across the surface of the story, which is structured like thought.

You try to keep up, but your brain dissolves in a primeval ooze of discomfort.

Reading this much of a book and putting it aside is not only disappointing. You feel as though you have polluted a pure concept. Books hold such promise. Unfortunately, life's too short to waste time on things that fail to satisfy, so I have put this one down in favour of Junichiro Tanizaki's 1924 novel Naomi.

Got to keep up the spirits.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Good on you Dean. I read a damning review of this book, I think in the SMH, so knew to stay clear of it.