Comments on: Thanks, but I Don’t Particularly Like to Hug

By: Julia M

Julia M — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 18:39:16 +0000

I agree w/ your idea. I’ve been too busy to post or read this site much. -Just working and reading IJ have consumed the summer. *But* I don’t want this to end. How can it be kept alive, at least a bit longer, for me and everyone else who needs that?

By: jackd

jackd — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 20:58:07 +0000

I’ve always taken it that JOI based several of his films on his own life. “It Was a Marvel…” is problematic: the synopsis says the father is deluded regarding the son’s muteness, but how could Himself write a film in which a delusion he believes is presented as a delusion? I prefer to believe that on some level JOI knew that Hal could and did talk to him, and that the film script was (although Himself wasn’t consciously aware of it) a near-verbatim transcript of the “interview”.

By: BrendaH

BrendaH — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 17:07:26 +0000

…achingly slow emotional reveal that takes place in small ways throughout the entire novel

Thanks, Eden, for so concisely expressing why I am so enthralled with this book! Great post!

By: brian warden

brian warden — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 15:28:05 +0000

No, he just passed out; his breathing was fine. Page 501: “I remember that his breathing was regular and wet, and that the dust mixture bubbled somewhat.” J.O.I. and his mother then proceed to futz around w/ the vacuum and behave as is if this is a fairly normal occurrence, the drunken passing out. It is a great passage though, reminds me a little of the (much longer) scene w/ J.O.I. and his dad in the garage, having a “discussion”.

By: Joel Bass

Joel Bass — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 15:03:54 +0000

Hmmm, are you sure? I thought there were some lines about his breathing stopping, or him turning blue while suffocating in his own puke, or some such. Seemed pretty dead.

By: Mrs. Kennedy

Mrs. Kennedy — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 05:05:38 +0000

Goddamnit, I misread it? krad rhaghiuarghicf dafhg

By: Brandan

Brandan — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 01:44:01 +0000

This is at least the third time that some portion of the narrative seems to follow the plot of one of J.O.I.’s films, viz. “Valuable Coupon Has Been Removed.” The other two, pointed out by someone smarter than me, were “As of Yore” and “It Was a Great Marvel That He Was in the Father Without Knowing Him.” And just glancing at the filmography again, there’s “(At Least) Three Cheers for Cause and Effect” that seems like it could show up at some point.

Was J.O.I. creating films based on his own life (which seems like the Occam’s Razor explanation), or is Wallace somehow screwing with us by introducing these recursively fictional characters? And is this already being discussed in the forums?

By: Ed

Ed — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 22:02:52 +0000

You mentioned the scene where James’ father is trying to fix the bed’s squeaking. As I’m sure you’re all aware, squeaking appears many times throughout the story so far, usually as an annoyance, or worse. The squeaking of tennis shoes, the squeaking of the wheel-chairs (“to hear the squeak”), and the squeaking of rodents.

And speaking of rodents, they are also a recurring theme, as is the word used to describe them: feral. Now I don’t know if what this is symbolic of, if anything. Does anyone have any thoughts on this?

Also, I think its pretty clever that that section up north has been changed to an “environment so fertilely lush it’s practically unlivable”.
This parallels the veiled Joelle, who claims to be so beautiful as to be deformed.

And deformity. As a theme throughout this book…don’t even get me started THERE!

By: Carroll

Carroll — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 21:14:30 +0000

I read it as passed out drunk, too. JS’s synopsis page says: “He pitches forward and passes out face down in the dust breaking the bed frame in the process.”

By: Mike

Mike — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 20:19:05 +0000

I loved this Erdedy / R. Tony scene.
I think it may be one that I’ll be back to read aloud to anyone who will listen.

My entertainment minded mind noted it kinda reminded me of the rehab-rehabilitation that was going on for the protagonist in the beginning of the movie Fight Club. Ah, entertainment!