The Amnesiac
Sam Taylor
Reviewed by Barb Radmore
"What changes is not the colour of the
canal, but the perspective of the person who looks at it."
"I got the memory of having the memories, but not the originals."
James Purdew is at a loss- literally. He is out of work due to a broken
ankle, his girlfriend has left him and his days pass slowly with no
purpose or drive. He begins to reflect on how he arrived at this point
in his life only to discover that he does not really remember. He is
not sure of who he is "For most of my adult life, I have been haunted
by the suspicion that I am, in fact, nobody." He has questions on both
the abstract theories of memory but also the specifics of lost
memories. He can not remember three years of his life at all, three
years of college. He has his diaries of that time but they are locked
into a storage box he can not open (can you say metaphor). He decided
to return where he lived during these years, the town of "H," to try to
uncover the secrets of those forgotten years.
His trip to "H" becomes the basis of this tale. But it is only the
foundation, the only concrete base as time and reality become fluid,
stories living in other stories, tales told and retold.
This was one of the most frustrating books I have ever reviewed. I have
pages of notes and quotes, there was so much that stood out, both ideas
and, especially, well turned phrases. I told everyone I was reading the
most amazing book. I hated to put it down. And then I kept reading. And
reading. And reading. And it all fell apart. I want to take scissors
and trim out whole chapters, sections. It is the first review book I
have actually yelled at, out loud. It started with Chapter Two (no,
that is not the second chapter of the book) and went from there. Sam
Taylor has so many ideas, so many writing techniques to incorporate
that they fall all over each other. There is much more than one book
contained within the pages. Strangely enough it could be an amazing
short story or many different novels. It is not the stories that need
to be separate but the ideas and the literary devices. For
instance, the incorporation of the biography of Tomas Ryal is brilliant
but unnecessary in the book. The symbol Taylor refers to so often, the
labyrinth, would be the best title for this book as it describes it
perfectly. Unfortunately it is easy to get lost in a labyrinth and this
happens to both the author and the reader.
The discussion of Taylor, as Purdew, talking about the detective
stories that are addictive to read but leave one "feeling hollow and
let down" by their endings is ironic. "Reading philosophy, he thought,
was like reading the beginnings to an infinite number of detective
stories, without ever having to read their bathetic endings." Taylor
seems to feel the same way. His philosophical look at the questions of
memory and reality itself are wrapped in the trappings of a detective
story.
I need to be clear. I will be first in line to read Taylor's next book,
The Island at the End of the World in February of 2009. This author has
as much talent as I have seen in a very long time. His writing ability,
his ability to use words to evoke feelings, brings on ideas and makes
the reader work for their understanding. And is that not the basic
purpose of good literature? This book is not for those who like the
easy path, who want their understanding to be handed to them without
effort or thought will need to avoid this book. But those that want to
work with the author to find meaning and depth will be richly rewarded.
(I am also very curious in seeing what he came up with as a children's
book also. Now that must be interesting!)