very simple

Of the new books I mentioned the other day, I’ve already finished reading A Home at the End of the World. The story was really fantastic and touching, but I do agree with some of the criticisms on Amazon – namely, that the four "narrators" all spoke in essentially the same voice. Cunningham wrote the book from the perspective of four characters – Bobby, Jonathan, Alice (Jonathan’s mother), and Clare, but for four individuals who came from divergent backgrounds, they all seemed to have the same vocabulary. I think it might have worked better if written in third person (still keeping the device of the four points of view, but having the invisible narrator, with a singular voice, explain what’s going on).

The story was phenomenal though – and now I’ve got my usual dilemma about the movie coming out. Do I see it and potentially get annoyed at all the changes from the book? I’ve heard really good things so it may be worth the risk. And because of the movie, I’ve already got the actors’ images in my head as the characters, so I’m less worried about feeling like the movie was miscast. I suppose it’ll ultimately depend on how easy it is to see the film.

Tags: books