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I read "At Swim, Two Boys" for the first time when I was seventeen, because Kit told me to. I absolutely loved it--I actually typed out one scene that was more than two thousand words long because I wanted to be able to come back and reread it after I returned the library book. I still have that file on my computer. This past Christmas, Kit and I agreed to buy used copies for each other (I think the one I got her was a dollar and eight cents on Amazon) and I just finished rereading it.
The plot is great, and the development and the overarching themes and all that, but what I truly love about this book is the writing style. It seems dense at first, but then it draws me in and makes me forget that it should be hard to read, because it flows so beautifully. While I was reading it, I had to keep a notebook nearby because I kept finding bits I wanted to write down and think about later. It's really amazing, how engaging it is. I read an interview with the author, Jamie O'Neill, in which he says he never read as a child, not even his schoolbooks, didn't finish a single book until he was seventeen. He spent all his time swimming off the coast of Ireland, where he grew up. I guess that's as strong an argument as any for "write what you know."
This isn't a review or a recommendation. I do recommend it, definitely, but I'm not sure I'd be able to convey my love for this book if I tried. This is just a brain-dump of the quotes I scribbled down while I was reading, along with some informal and generally incoherent notes about them. It's mainly for my own benefit, both to organize my thoughts this time around and for the benefit of my future self, since reading this book at 20 was very different from reading it at 17 and I'm sure my perspective will be different again next time. None of this will make a whole lot of sense unless you've read the book. (Which means Kit is basically the only person on my flist who cares, but I suspect she's going to play in this entry like a sandbox, so I'm posting it anyway.)
Warning: long, spoilery, and textually NSFW.
( 'My aunt once told me that nothing is gained by clinging to life save more life to cling to. The world I find is embarked on a grand adventure. I find I choose to play.' )
The plot is great, and the development and the overarching themes and all that, but what I truly love about this book is the writing style. It seems dense at first, but then it draws me in and makes me forget that it should be hard to read, because it flows so beautifully. While I was reading it, I had to keep a notebook nearby because I kept finding bits I wanted to write down and think about later. It's really amazing, how engaging it is. I read an interview with the author, Jamie O'Neill, in which he says he never read as a child, not even his schoolbooks, didn't finish a single book until he was seventeen. He spent all his time swimming off the coast of Ireland, where he grew up. I guess that's as strong an argument as any for "write what you know."
This isn't a review or a recommendation. I do recommend it, definitely, but I'm not sure I'd be able to convey my love for this book if I tried. This is just a brain-dump of the quotes I scribbled down while I was reading, along with some informal and generally incoherent notes about them. It's mainly for my own benefit, both to organize my thoughts this time around and for the benefit of my future self, since reading this book at 20 was very different from reading it at 17 and I'm sure my perspective will be different again next time. None of this will make a whole lot of sense unless you've read the book. (Which means Kit is basically the only person on my flist who cares, but I suspect she's going to play in this entry like a sandbox, so I'm posting it anyway.)
Warning: long, spoilery, and textually NSFW.
( 'My aunt once told me that nothing is gained by clinging to life save more life to cling to. The world I find is embarked on a grand adventure. I find I choose to play.' )
