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.