A Strange Room, by Damon Galgut

This novel is slim, but jam packed. Once I picked it up, I found it incredibly hard to put down, and finished it in a number of days. It traverses three journeys the protagonist (author?) has experienced, each shared with another person, and each with a disappointing end.

The protagonist, through much of the novel, clearly experiences a sense of displacement and uncertainty. He drifts through life, either through foreign countries, or through the loungerooms of people he knows in various locations of South Africa, his homeland. He seems to have few ties to people or place at home, yet the connection he makes when he travels are prominent and significant. Perhaps this rises out of the thrill of the unfamiliar, perhaps from the distinct possibility of a new relationship. However, he seems unable to achieve what he wants from these relationships, even when he gathers the courage to reach out and act. In the end, there is always a sense of disappointment, either of chances not taken, or of promises of greatness simply not meeting their imagined potential.

Galgut plays with an interesting voice and tense use. He shifts from first person voice, to third person, giving the impression that the events are being narrated from some years afterwards. This at first makes the protagonist a little difficult to connect with, a notion which seems appropriate given the shift in the character by the third journey, which occurs in middle age.

We only have opportunity to witness three journeys in the character's life, yet to me he was entirely easy relate to. The aimlessness of youth, the yearning of later years, and then the resignation and calm of finding your place all resonated as aspects of a life fully lived

C, by Tom McCarthy

Ok. I finished 'C', gruellingly, and then dived headfirst into the fabulousness that is "A Strange Room" by Damon Galgut, which I finished in a matter of addicted days. But first things first.

'C' explores the life of Serge Carrefax, and ponders the notions of communication, perception and design. While the book wanders intriguingly through the unusual events of Serge's early life (including being born (with hearing) into a deaf world, in which his father tries to teach deaf children to talk) and taps into exciting ideas of radio communication and spy codes, for me it became entirely bogged down in the too-detailed consideration of Serge's later life. This made the book seem uneven, and I felt Serge in later life was a dry character steeped in arrogance.

I really enjoyed the interweaving themes of communication and perception. McCarthy's fascination with early communicative technology and its intersection with Serge's development was intriguing, with Serge's father always one step behind. But while Serge is capable of noticing all sorts of intense detail, such as an ability to categorically map out an area in his mind, his perception of other humans is callous and dismissive. On the whole, the intriguing curiosity and precociousness of the young character is sadly undeveloped in the more oblivious, self-centred older character occupying the greater part of the book. A bit of a disappointment for me, in the end.