Distiller: Doni Faber
Rating: 3/5 Stars
Drink: Out-of-date "fizzy pop"
Capital: A Novel
by John Lanchester
W.W. Norton & Company
(June 11, 2012)
527 pages
With
a title like Capital,
set in 2007 and 2008 in London, one might expect this book to be
primarily about the financial crash. Though this certainly impacts
the narrative, it is more about how those living in a posh
neighborhood orient their lives towards or away from materialism.
The binding thread between these neighbors is that someone along
Pepys Road is leaving cryptic notes that say, "We Want What You
Have." Though the sender of these notes is a mystery to be
solved, this mystery is a back drop to depictions of the neighbors'
lives rather than a propelling force.
The two main characters who come to exemplify the opposing forces of
materialism are Roger, an investment banker, and Usman, a Muslim who
runs a family-operated shop. Roger's wife, Arabella is a "breadhead,"
a never-reformed addict to spending money. This becomes a problem
when Roger doesn't get his expected bonus at Christmas time. Usman is
a surly critic of Western decadence who covers the shop's alcohol
with a blind and lurks on angry Jihadist websites. Both of these
extremes end up working poorly for these characters.
The plot is not overarching, but rather follows many characters
through a single distinct event in their lives. Smitty, a graffitti
artist who depends on his anonymity for success, sees that anonymity
threatened. Quentina, a parking officer who is working as an illegal
immigrant, is threatened to be deported back to Zimbabwe where she
would most likely be killed. A Polish painter, Zbigniew, struggles to
decide what to do with a suitcase of money he found hidden while on
the job. And a young football (soccer) player, Freddy is doing
famously until he gets injured.
The book is artfully structured so that each time I wanted to know a
little bit more about the particular character it was focused on, the
author would dwell a little longer on him or her. The world of each
character is believable, though the tone is remarkably consistent for
how many different perspectives the book encompassed. Despite the
trajectory for each character being so distinct, the book is
remarkably cohesive and has enough cross-over from character to
character that it does not feel like a mere collection of stories.
I enjoyed reading a fictional work that was set
in such a contemporaneous time. The main value of the book is to
capture the current unrest of so many of our lives in a fictional
portrayal of vastly different lives. An added bonus, as an American
reader, was the frequent use of British slang such as "wonkers,"
"pottering" and "rubbish" and other more colorful
phrases.
The drink I would choose to accompany this is
an out-of-date "fizzy pop," the British slang for soda.
This is appropriate because many of the characters' lifestyles fizzle
with the economic downturn. The reason it ought to be out-of-date has
to do with the money Zbigniew found.
I'll add this to my Goodreads "to read" shelf. I enjoy reading what YOU write!
ReplyDeleteI'll add this to my Goodreads "to read" shelf. I enjoy reading what YOU write!
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