So i guess it is appropriate that we read this book toward the end of the course and bring it full circle to the beginning. Throughout reading this novel, I couldn’t help but be reminded of Pynchon. However, I must say that I liked this much more than that novel. Although Pynchon was very interesting, there was just more resolution in this novel, and I just missed that complete quality in The Crying of Lot 49.
As for this novel on its own…
I guess one of the first things that struck me about Gibson’s work was the setting. It felt so alien and so ordinary at the same time. Gibson sets up his protagonist to be this jet setting piece in a giant global machine. Cayce travels all over the world in a manner of weeks. Gibson portrays this world of intense globalization where everyone is connected, and it almost seems ridiculous. Wherever Cayce goes, she feels welcome and sort of at home. I can understand the interconnectedness in relation to the subculture of the footage, but the interconnectedness outside of that culture just feels a little incorrect. Gibson seems to portray a world where cultures are secondary to technology. I just don’t know how I feel about that.
My biggest qualm with the book is the ending. I just felt like the “love story” aspect was completely unnecessary. I understand that the reader wants Cayce to be happy, but come on. I like Parkaboy better when he was just some concept on the internet. The whole knight in shining armor thing felt so wrong to me. Cayce has been looking for peace the whole time, and I thought the ending implied that Parkaboy was necessary to that-bullshit. I liked Cayce better when she was running from the Michelin Man and trying to deal with her inner demons.
Her demons…I liked the concept of her allergy to brands. I thought this was a rather interesting aspect for anyone who cringes when they pass the overly scented Hollister store in the mall. I nearly almost vomit when i pass by that establishment. Furthermore, I still get uncomfortable in the stomach area when i see the brand name. So I can relate to her. However, many of Cayce’s problems seem to stem from her inability to deal with the real personal issues in her life. Her father’s death seems to be almost a footnote compared to the phobia…however, this changes as she experiences more traumatic events.
Is the story set up to be about the personal disconnect we all experience from traumatic events? Perhaps. Cayce loses her father, and sees the buildings fall, and yet she is still afraid of a marshmallow man. It seems so ridiculous. However, I think the novel has its point. Sometimes we favor anonymity rather than facing the issues at had: Cayce immediately emails back over banal items, but ignores her mother.
I guess its a coming of age set in the mid-thirties age range. However, I like it and I think it works.
2 Comments
Comments RSS TrackBack Identifier URI
Leave a comment
Hi Louis,
Thanks for your questions about fanfiction. I honestly don’t know about bad fanfics being deleted. I sure hope not since this is a good way for young people to get into writing. They should not be punished for their lack of experience. On the other hand, I know what you mean about the fluffy comments. A lot of times I would simply get feedback that would say “good job.” or “keep on writing”, which still helped motivate me. I consider this to be fluff, but useful. Where as flames don’t help anyone. I’ve seen moderators allow really mean and unhelpful comments onto peoples stories and have felt so bad that I went in and posted a good comment. Bad comments can very well make a person stop writing. Everyone needs a little encouragement, even if it’s something little like complimenting the writer’s courage to post for millions of readers. You know what I mean? Hopefully this helps. If you have any other questions I’d be happy to try to answer them for you.
Allison
Hi Louis,
I was also annoyed that Parkaboy came in and saved the day. He should never have been taken out of the boundaries of the online forum. There was something appealing about Cayce having a long term, online friendship with an individual whose name she didn’t even know. I liked how Gibson was showing that an intimacy and bond can occur through something as remote and technological as the Internet. I guess I’d be less annoyed with the love story if it added another dimension to Cayce’s phobias and internal conflicts, but it just felt like it was tossed in for the hell of it.
Beth