vacation
sorry this is coming in so late but i read "vacation" and all i can say is...what? i thought i was really going to like it in the beginning, but in the end i was left befuddled. however, i still think like it even after the bizarre ending that really could be the start of another story.
i enjoyed it because the main character is on this "vacation" from the reality that his wife is sleeping with his neighbor and friend, Walter. this is such a huge problem in the world today so i thought it was a cool idea to write a fantasy story about something that is such a real issue.
the country of aristea is the confusing part of the story, along with the strange jokes of the cab driver and the sighting of tom blankenship, the main character's friend from home. why the joke about ugly women? why the dark room with all the ugly women in it? what is the significance of the cab driver calling the protagonist his brother? finally, what are the aristeans looking for from these tourists if not trading?
these are all the questions i was left with after finishing this story. i enjoyed the way the story was written, flashing back and forth between his thoughts of home and his current situation in aristea, and the tale certainly kept my interest. i just feel like i'm missing the deeper meaning to the story since i can't figure out the answer to any of the questions i asked above. still, props to vacation. it's well written and left me wanting more.
i enjoyed it because the main character is on this "vacation" from the reality that his wife is sleeping with his neighbor and friend, Walter. this is such a huge problem in the world today so i thought it was a cool idea to write a fantasy story about something that is such a real issue.
the country of aristea is the confusing part of the story, along with the strange jokes of the cab driver and the sighting of tom blankenship, the main character's friend from home. why the joke about ugly women? why the dark room with all the ugly women in it? what is the significance of the cab driver calling the protagonist his brother? finally, what are the aristeans looking for from these tourists if not trading?
these are all the questions i was left with after finishing this story. i enjoyed the way the story was written, flashing back and forth between his thoughts of home and his current situation in aristea, and the tale certainly kept my interest. i just feel like i'm missing the deeper meaning to the story since i can't figure out the answer to any of the questions i asked above. still, props to vacation. it's well written and left me wanting more.
posted by kate at 6:38 PM
2 Comments:
I have to wonder if the affair in this story takes place at all. I think that is the magic behind the country of Aristea. It lures you in, gives you a sense of paradise. It makes you think about how bad life can be away from the island (in this case the possibility of your wife cheating on you and your job going down the drain.) It fools you with its beauty.
I think this leads into the joke about "Where are the beautiful women?". The answer would be There are no beautiful women. This doesn't really pertain to women at all. It just says that there is something wrong with everything. There is no perfection. A beautiful woman may be beautiful on the outside, but beauty often leads to cockiness and sin (The imagined affair in the story being an excellent example.) There are no truly beautiful people or places. This paradise is beautiful on the outside and terrible from within.
Or maybe something that is ugly on the outside is just as beautiful as something that is pretty on the outside. Appearances cancel out with actuallities. In that case, everyone and everywhere would be equally as beautiful.
Very intriguing story. I liked it. I was not surprised to read that the author was also responsible for Big Fish.
The idea that beauty is a constant and just has an inner and outer variable would also explain why the cab driver calls the main character his brother.
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