Review of Ironing
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Crystal Riggleman
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Review of Ironing
[Following is a volunteer review of "Ironing" by Navajo.]
There is a new genre of writing, experimental fiction. Ironing, by Navajo, is one of those ventures. Before reading, it is suggested that the preface to the book, which explains what experimental fiction is, should be read. https://www.readersdigest.co.uk/culture ... -by-navajo This will help explain the style the author has chosen.
Multiple characters are in the book. Their stories may cross at times, while others may have nothing to do with one another. Many of the stories start on a London bus. Like any bus in a big city, people are going about their normal daily lives. Sometimes these people interact, and sometimes they do not. In this short book, you get a look at a snippet of time in each character’s life. You get to follow three teenage girls to the dog races. Another character is a college professor who gets himself into bureaucratic trouble. Other characters are in situations of domestic negligence, dating, and numerous other antics in the lives of everyday people.
Much like riding a city bus, you may only exchange a few words or see a short transaction between two people. You don't get the answers you want. You don't get to see the end of a plotline. All you get are fragments of lives that may or may not affect you emotionally or mentally.
Throughout the book, there were many characters that I liked and wanted to know more about. I wanted to know their background and where their story would go. Character dialog was real, sometimes mundane, angry, or crass, allowing the reader to feel as if it could be happening to them. Nonetheless, what is the point of not having a proper structure with dialogs? Regardless of language style, the correct structure on the written page would make it easier to read and understand.
Navajo has a lot to offer in that some of the descriptions are excellent and well detailed. However, while some sentences are well-written, others seem like they are the author’s stream of consciousness. This style is confusing and uncomfortable. For example, on page 49, "Pictures of Stan’s wife, died four years ago, breast cancer, children, three, two girls and a boy, grandchildren, splatter the walls of the room." Though grammatically correct, it makes the reader balk, losing what the author was trying to portray.
Perhaps I am not a visionary, but I do not appreciate this new genre. Therefore, I have to give Ironing 1 out of 4 stars. I find that experimental fiction is to writing as a hippopotamus defecating is to art. The author has plenty of story ideas. I hope someday to see some of those stories completed, not tossed haphazardly on the page. I recommend this book to those who are into pushing boundaries and trying something new. That being said, seeing what people are trying doesn’t mean you have to like it.
******
Ironing
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
There is a new genre of writing, experimental fiction. Ironing, by Navajo, is one of those ventures. Before reading, it is suggested that the preface to the book, which explains what experimental fiction is, should be read. https://www.readersdigest.co.uk/culture ... -by-navajo This will help explain the style the author has chosen.
Multiple characters are in the book. Their stories may cross at times, while others may have nothing to do with one another. Many of the stories start on a London bus. Like any bus in a big city, people are going about their normal daily lives. Sometimes these people interact, and sometimes they do not. In this short book, you get a look at a snippet of time in each character’s life. You get to follow three teenage girls to the dog races. Another character is a college professor who gets himself into bureaucratic trouble. Other characters are in situations of domestic negligence, dating, and numerous other antics in the lives of everyday people.
Much like riding a city bus, you may only exchange a few words or see a short transaction between two people. You don't get the answers you want. You don't get to see the end of a plotline. All you get are fragments of lives that may or may not affect you emotionally or mentally.
Throughout the book, there were many characters that I liked and wanted to know more about. I wanted to know their background and where their story would go. Character dialog was real, sometimes mundane, angry, or crass, allowing the reader to feel as if it could be happening to them. Nonetheless, what is the point of not having a proper structure with dialogs? Regardless of language style, the correct structure on the written page would make it easier to read and understand.
Navajo has a lot to offer in that some of the descriptions are excellent and well detailed. However, while some sentences are well-written, others seem like they are the author’s stream of consciousness. This style is confusing and uncomfortable. For example, on page 49, "Pictures of Stan’s wife, died four years ago, breast cancer, children, three, two girls and a boy, grandchildren, splatter the walls of the room." Though grammatically correct, it makes the reader balk, losing what the author was trying to portray.
Perhaps I am not a visionary, but I do not appreciate this new genre. Therefore, I have to give Ironing 1 out of 4 stars. I find that experimental fiction is to writing as a hippopotamus defecating is to art. The author has plenty of story ideas. I hope someday to see some of those stories completed, not tossed haphazardly on the page. I recommend this book to those who are into pushing boundaries and trying something new. That being said, seeing what people are trying doesn’t mean you have to like it.
******
Ironing
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Dread Tribunal of Last Resort by Brian Kaufman
