I was taken aback by the title of this chapter, since the book hadn't even reached the main plot yet. A character dies? And the author announced it in the chapter name? Of course, Magic Child only really died in spirit after she became a copy of Miss Hawkline, but the other characters still refer directly to her "death." I suppose it's a testament to the author's blunt, somewhat satirical style that such an event is handled so nonchalantly. It's easily the most fantastical element in the story so far, if the mere mention of ice monster doesn't take that prize. Maybe I'd call myself a fan of this book. It gets right to the point in common, sometimes vulgar (and grammatically derpy - using second person in a third person narrative? RAAAAGGGEE!!!) language and explains such a mash-up of genres in a nonplussed way that I don't believe many other stories could pull off. It's an aggressive simplicity that works surprisingly well.
Did you just not like that the author used second person? I really like it when authors use second person to draw a reader into a third person objective view. It was obviously intentional so I don't find it as "derpy" as when people unknowingly change points of view or even tenses in stories. When creators break the fourth wall I think it brings them closer to their audience. In fact, I'm not even sure if I would call it second person per se, since Brautigan isn't making the reader into a character but rather addressing him/her as consciously being the reader.
ReplyDeleteAlso, http://tinyurl.com/7bdqap4.