It has been awhile since I’ve written about a book on these pages, although I haven’t stopped reading. I continued my foray through some of Neil Gaimon’s work: Anansi Boys (good but not great), Fragile Things (some gems in this short story collection), and Good Omens (cowritten with Terry Pratchett and rather disappointing). Perhaps the best book I read recently was Michael Pollan’s Omnivore’s Dilemma. I never thought I would be riveted by chapters on grain, but Pollan is such an engaging writer, he could have written about almost anything. His book is essential reading for everyone.
No work of fiction, though, compares to Neal Stephenson’s monumental novel, Anathem. Every once in awhile I read a book that I keep thinking about all day (and unfortunately in this case, even all night), and for Anathem, I was drawn both to the story and to the philosophical questions positioned throughout. It’s tough to condense this novel, clocking in at nearly 1,000 pages, but in a nutshell . . . . Anathem’s world is divided between secular and “avout,” the latter of whom are isolated from secular society and who spend their time exploring philosophical and intellectual rather than narrowly-defined religious ideas. I don’t want to give anything away, so I’ll add that events happen that cause this society to question this division before an apocalyptic event.
Anyone who merely reads for escapism and a good plot should avoid this novel. There are loose ends and questions that remain, characters who never fully develop, and dozens of pages spent examining the avout’s consideration of philosophical quandries. But for those who read for an intellectual challenge with an engaging plot on the side, for those who do not mind working a bit while reading, then do yourself a favor and read Anathem. Or if you want to see more information before you take the plunge (and what a plunge it is), check out Stephenson’s web site, http://www.nealstephenson.com/anathem/, which comes complete with a “trailer” for the book.
This is one of the best novels I’ve read since Stephenson’s Cryptonomicon, and I dare give it some of the highest praise I can by stating that Anathem has the epic quality of Moby-Dick, for me the pinnicle of novel writing. Like Melville’s masterpiece, Anathem is rough and, at times, messy, but it is much more than a novel–it is a profound reading event. Enjoy!
