I am a guy who likes to see what all the fuss is about. When the Da Vinci code was finally allowing the CEO of Random House to fulfill his lifelong dream of wiping his bottom with 100 dollar bills, part of that hundred was mine. When the Kite Runner was making middle aged housewives finally care about children from other countries, I shared their concern. When Stephanie Meyers was finally about to pull herself out of the Utah soccer mom slums with teenage vampire porn quadrilogy Twilight, I was rooting (silently) for Bella. Needless to say, when a book is creating a lot of buzz, I will read it. Lots of heartache comes with this because a lot of these books turn out to be pretty bad. Kite Runner was fairly disappointing, the Da Vinci code was exciting yet forgettable, and Twilight could/may have been ghostwritten by a fourth grader. People get bored, something becomes hip, they (we) ride the train for a bit, then inevitably get off as soon as it's done. However, I do believe Wally Lamb's She's Come Undone lived up to most of the hype surrounding it.
She's Come Undone chronicles the life of Dolores Price. Dolores, isn't the most likable protagonist. In fact, at times she is repulsive. Mean, impulsive, and selfish are not the qualities that make up a very likable main character, but they are qualities every reader can empathize with. While I cannot imagine anyone going through all of the turmoil that Dolores endures in the novel, I think everyone can see a little bit of themselves in her.
While in the beginning I wondered if Wally Lamb was only attempting to write the most depressing novel ever, the payoff is the third act. Without giving away anything, Lamb brings the novel to an end not afraid to let the reader wonder. There are rarely neat and tidy resolutions in life, tragedy doesn't adhere to rhyme or reason, and not everything can be understood. Lamb leaves the character as she is. If I am going to be honest, since finishing the book I have thought about "Dolores Price" on numerous occasions and what she may be doing at that very moment.
Overall, Lamb's literary debut is a well written and moving piece.
I give this book 3 dead horses out of 4
3 comments:
From what I've read of the book -- which admittedly is just the summary on the Amazon page -- I think this book is probably symptomatic of a horrendous habit of humanity. Basically, we are fascinated with the people whose lack of virtue we gladly extol in exchange for our own self-exaltation. It's the Archie Bunker syndrome. It's every "real" person in all reality TV. And the personal payoff is we can assure ourselves that, in comparison to their moral standing, we're not too shabby, and we thus exonerate our own sin.
Also, apostrophes in book titles are lame.
My Dad always says that the key to a good book is how long the characters stay in your thoughts after you've finished the book. Judging by that barometer, it looks like She's Come Undone is a good book.
Regarding your review, you sure came out swinging by taking shots at not just the Da Vinci Code, The Kite Runner, and Twilight, but all three of them -- in your opening paragraph! Looks like someone's not messing around.
When I first read She's Come Undone, I felt like it was a beautifully complex book lead by a character of immense emotional depth. This was several years ago. After talking to some friends, I really came to understand that the book is also a revelation as a male author is quite convincing in portraying the internal dialogue of Dolores. Lambs first novel "I Know This Much Is True" is also emotionally dark material presented as a fascinating read.
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