James Metcalf on the fictionality of the latest archaeological page-turners
Stephen Puddicombe looks at the unusual appeal of Samuel Beckett's Waiting for Godot
Ciaran Rafferty investigates the science of book classification
Divided into seven chapters, each narrated by a different character, the book centers around the figure of Simon Heywood, a quiet, idealistic and highly intelligent man obsessed with the memory of a woman he hasn't been romantically involved with for almost a decade. Perlman bases the novel around Simon's shocking, apparently insane incident of his abduction of the woman's seven-year-old son, writing of how this single, misguided act impacts and reverberates throughout the lives of all the novel's central characters. However, there is a twist. Although Simon's action is viewed by many of the characters as incomprehensible, is so perfectly reasoned and justified by Simon himself that the reader starts to question all other perspectives. Indeed, with the introduction of each of the multiple narratives within the work reality becomes more elusive as the reader is caught in an intricate web of varied perceptions. As well as the exploration of the consequences of this central incident, and the occasionally unsettlingly insightful study of human nature, the novel is also an intensely psychological thriller, a romance and a satirical and discerning critique of modern values and morality.
Ambiguity is a continuous theme throughout the work, both in the form of ambiguous language and that of human relationships, especially in the way that the latter can be interpreted by two people in entirely different ways. It is also a novel of obsession, the different ways in which one can love, loyalty, and the consequences of greed and self-indulgence.
Whilst it is best to be prepared to skim-read over some of Perlman's more extensive digressions, it is also impossible not to be swept away with much of this compelling and accomplished novel, with its beautiful narrative and fascinating, flawed characters. The novel's breadth of scope is phenomenal and its meanings and insights manifold: most strongly the book pursues the idea that although people believe themselves to view their place in the world and the way they are perceived by others with perfect clarity, in actuality people can never view themselves or their relationships completely from another person's perspective.
An unsettling and challenging work that explores a variety of complex moral and psychological issues, Seven Types of Ambiguity is a stunningly intelligent novel of social criticism, the complexities of human nature and the lengths to which a person will go in the throes of obsession. It is also one of the few great books that forces you to confront the way in which you see the world and your own place within it, making your own perception of reality appear limited and indistinct.
You must log in to submit a comment.
