Characters: B
Writing: B+
Plot: B
Pacing: B
Poignancy: B-
If you know me, you know that I'm obsessed with post-apocalyptic fiction. I've read pretty much everything out there, but it's been a weird relationship, as I'm never really satisfied with what I find. It's strange, but post-apocalyptic books always seem to lack imagination. Most of them end up dealing with the same themes, same situations, same stoic but jaded characters. Far North is the upcoming selection for a book club I joined, so I had no knowledge of the plot whatsoever going in. But I had hope. Much like the character of a post-apocalyptic novel, I believed that maybe this time could be different.
It's not that post-apocalyptic books are usually bad. I wouldn't be able to sustain my fascination with the genre if that were the case. It's just that they're usually "alright", and frankly, I want more. Even the best ones — say, Stephen King's The Stand — usually end up having some huge, awkward flaw. Far North doesn't really expand any horizons, doesn't really have any original ideas, doesn't demonstrate anything new about human nature, but it is at least well written. It's gripping and fairly well paced. But I wish there were something more to stick with me, because the plot is basically the plot of every post-apocalyptic novel. This time, it was global warming. A group of pilgrims established a new frontier in northern Siberia, taking advantage of the receding temperatures, and a couple years later the rest of civilization went to shit. This time, the main character is a woman — except she acts like a man in every way, to the point that other characters spend most of the novel believing that she's a man, so a bit of a missed opportunity there. This time, there isn't even a side-kick along for her adventure. This is basically a "road" novel, as most post-apocalyptic novels are, except this journey is shaped in little futile loops, and there's never a clear goal or threat. True to life, I suppose, as our protagonist just sort of wanders around randomly and deals with the various situations she finds. This is a book of random encounters, fleeting danger that's inevitably resolved within a few pages, so there's never any great tension or suspense.
Post-apocalyptic novels so often deal with hardship, society's healing or reforming, the cruelty of men cut loose from civilization. And that's fine, but not when there's nothing else to it. Here, the side characters never stick around for long enough to develop, and without side characters the book lacks even a sense of danger. There's a clipped, casual quickness to the pacing of the book. Though well-written, Far North isn't particularly profound. It doesn't make any great statements about civilization or human nature that haven't been made before — although it does make them better than most. At times, it actually starts to steer towards something unique, only to shy away at the last minute. Set in the wilds of Russia, it never takes advantage of its unique scenery or the mystery that is the vast Siberian landscape, which was a huge disappointment. I assume that Theroux has never been to Siberia, as there's no sense of unique personality to the place, and it could have been set on almost any landmass with no changes but in the names of towns. Once a mysterious region called "The Zone" is introduced, I was hoping Far North would at least have the good sense to borrow some of that awesome Russian creepiness from STALKER, but alas, this too is barely developed. The main character wanders. The main character perseveres, no matter how unlikely. And so on.
All this disappointment does not make Far North a bad book. I always do this, getting caught up in the flaws of a novel, only to claim at the end that it's pretty decent — but whatever, Far North is pretty decent. While it lacks creativity, it isn't really derivative or cliche either, and makes up for this in readability. There's a lot of attempted poignancy that falls flat, but Far North works on a structural level better than most books. So if you haven't read all that many post-apocalyptic books, this wouldn't be a bad start. It doesn't cover any new ground, but it nonetheless makes for a reasonably satisfying journey.
No comments:
Post a Comment