The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay through p. 421- Matt

 I finished up the novel this morning, but I will confine my post to a small section after Ryan’s last post.

As Ryan and others suspected, there was a little more left in the Ebling sub-plot.  While his dealings with Joe are done, in a butterfly effect sort of way, it was these dealings that send law enforcement to the New Jersey beach house to, as it is put, “flush a fairy nest,” and have dire consequences for Sammy. 

On a related historical note, I have never heard of this type of persecution before, but I assume it has a basis in fact.  I never really thought about it, but I guess had no idea that homosexuality was actively targeted by law enforcement.  I am happy that is no longer the case, and while certainly the struggle for gay rights is not over, I am happy to know it has come quite far.  Having law enforcement trying to snuff out gay people persecute them is a nasty, unsavory business that I am happy to not have run across.

The fortunes of Sammy and Joe take a dramatic downturn in the space of few pages.  Sammy abandons his plan to move to Los Angeles, and with it, his hopes for romantic contentment.  Joe’s fervent aspiration, to which he dedicated himself fully, of delivering his family to safety and comfort is dashed when his brother is killed during his transit to America.

Until now, we have seen repeated victories and successes for both Sammy and Joe, but in the last few pages, all of there dreams have been reduced to rubble.  Now we will see what they manage to rebuild.

Until Next Time-

Matt

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay – through pg. 395

So over the last couple hundred pages, I’ve really changed my tune about Clay.  My earlier statement about him being selfish was largely unfair in hindsight.  Now that I’ve put his life into a broader context, I really feel for the guy.  Between the self-consciousness he must feel over his withered legs, to the difficult process he must be going through with his own sexual self-discovery, it’s really quite amazing that he has been able to achieve so much professionally, probably due to the state of his personal life.

You get a sense about how little Clay values himself during one pointed exchange he had with Bacon, the actor playing the Escapist on the radio serial, and his mutual love interest: “It’s not comic books that you think are inferior, it’s you.”  I hope he finds happiness; maybe together with Bacon out in Los Angeles.  I guess we’ll see.

One thing I was a bit disappointed in was the way in which the tit-for-tat between Ebling and Kavalier has seemingly ended with Ebling’s arrest after the failed attempt on Kavalier’s life.  I expected more of a running exchange between these two – a bit more of a back and forth akin to the interplay between the typical comic book hero and foil, with Kavalier always getting the best of Ebling, yet somehow the bungling Ebling escaping justice to fight another day.  I must say I thought the Nazi sympathizer would remain in the story for a lot longer.

And after several months of delays, Kavalier’s brother Thomas should be arriving in New York any day…I’m looking forward to see what transpires. 

Ryan

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay p. ???

Gentlemen, I applaud you eager reading, I am a little behind in both the book and the posting. We are redoing the living room at this time and as a part-time father and husband I have my hands full. I will be posting in the next few days as up to the page as you are. . . I hope.
-Jake

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay – through pg. 301 Ryan

After reading Matt’s post and giving my comments some more consideration, perhaps my earlier assessment of Clay was a bit harsh.  But I’m not going to dwell on it as a lot has happened in the one hundred some-odd pages since my last post.

We see the introduction of several new characters of perceived importance: Carl Ebling, the fascist director of the Arayan-American League (AAL) and a closeted aficionado of the Escapist, and Rosa Saks, a bohemian artist who takes up with Kavalier as his exquisite love interest.

I suspect Kavalier’s break-in at the AAL and Ebling’s faux bombing of Empire Records is only the first in a series of tit-for-tat exchanges between these two men, a microcosm of the larger struggle at hand.  Something tells me that things will not end well between these two.  And I like the introduction of Rosa.  She seems to be quite a remarkable woman.  And more importantly, I like that Kavalier did not dismiss her advances out of hand due to feelings of guilt over his family’s predicament.  Every good story needs a romantic entanglement.

What I did not expect is Clay’s apparent homosexual tendencies, or so we are led to believe thus far.  A perfunctory “not that there is anything wrong with that” goes without saying; I just didn’t see it coming.  

Aside from this development, there is an ever-increasing number of more important story threads developing, including Kavalier’s efforts to secure his brother Thomas’ rescue from Prague, the new introduction of the luna moth-butterfly comic book character Judy Dark (based loosely on Rosa, incorporating another strand of the recurring rebirth motif I’ve come to welcome from Chabon), and the Kavalier-Ebling entanglement.  With about half the story left, I’m interested to see how these numerous plot lines will play out.

Finally, on a side note, what do you guys make of Chabon’s continued happenstance interactions between the boys and a variety of historical figures, of late Al Smith and Salvador Dali.  I’m not sure what to make of this – on one level it keeps me on my toes, but at the same time, it smacks of absurdity – Kavalier and Clay continually bumping into the elite of their day in a series of random encounters…a bit far-fetched. 

Ryan 

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay through p. 196 - Matt

I would disagree and take the position that Sammy is a good guy, and a true friend to Joe.  I would agree with you that sympathy for what Joe is going through with his family seems to be lacking, but I think showing the appropriate level of would be impossible.  By no means do I pretend to understand the feeling associated with the holocaust, but I think to some degree we have all experienced this: when somebody we know is going through a personal tragedy and we want to be more compassionate, and we try to be more understanding, but whatever the person going through is so terrible and severe that no matter what attempts we make to sympathize, they seem insignificant.  In light of what is happening to Joe, I do not think there is anything that Sammy can do that will seem appropriate.

When Joe wants to do what he can to sway public opinion against Germany in the pages of the comic books, Sammy is his devout ally.  When Anapol and Ashkenazy are hesitant to have the Escapist openly declare war on Germany long before the United States gets involved, Sammy never hesitates of waivers and is happy to risk his own job and fortune to make stand with Joe, threatening to quit if their personal attacks on the Third Reich are not allowed to continue.

I would also point out that Sammy and Joe seem to be profiting equally from their comics.  Anapol and Ashkenazy were in a position to take advantage of them, and they did so, but Sammy was in a position take advantage of Joe, and he never did.  As the one making the negotiations, the one with some knowledge of American business, and the one with his finger on the pulse of the comic books, Sammy could have gotten himself the lion’s share of whatever Anapol and Ashkenazy were passing down to them, but he always ensures that his cousin is profiting as much as himself.

It could be said that Joe was the more talented of the two, and his artistic ability is what makes the comics and by profiting equally Sammy was in fact taking advantage of him, but I would argue that Sammy’s genius in crafting the stories and building the characters, and general comic book editing ability is equally important.

Until Next Time- Matt

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay – through pg. 196 Ryan

So the Escapist seems to mean something different to each kid at this point.  For Clay, it’s a way to make money, make it big, and then make it out of Brooklyn.  For Kavalier, it’s a way to make it big, but for the purpose of freeing his family and bringing them to America.  You get the sense that they are both desperate in a way, but for Kavalier the stakes are that much higher.  But what we haven’t seen yet is Clay really identify in a compelling way with Kavalier in terms of what he is going through because of what is family is facing. 

Which brings me to the relationship between Kavalier and Clay.  What do you guys make of it at this point?

Frankly, I’m starting to find Clay to be a bit of a shit, who is only slightly more sympathetic than Anapol – the very shrewd, very fat one-time peddler of cheap novelty gags who is becoming rich off the comic trade thanks to the efforts of these young men.  For instance, take this exchange between Kavalier and Clay, which occurs after Kavalier learns of his father’s death:

   

“Could there be some mistake?” Sammy said.

“Such things are always possible,” Joe said bitterly.

“Oh, Jesus,” Sammy said”  ...I hate to tell my mother this.”  (pg. 190)

Maybe I’m reading too much into this, but hell – that’s a pretty self-centered thing to say to a guy who just lost his father, and is likely facing the prospect of having his entire family wiped out.  Generally speaking, Clay doesn't seem to be a terribly likable guy.  So what do you guys make of Clay, and their relationship?  Is he a clueless, self- absorbed manipulator, or just someone who means well despite his general loutish behavior? 

Ryan            

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay through p. 85 - Matt

I returned a couple days ago from a little trip to Miami, and between a few plane rides, airport delays (which seem almost inevitable these days, but I still feel JetBlue owes me something), and leisurely vacation reading time, I am on page 473.  Rather trying to condense my thoughts to this point, or trying to remember back for piece mail posts, my plan is to respond to your posts as they come along.

Ryan, thank you for illuminating the rebirth motif that continually surfaces with escapes, magic acts, Houdini, and its relation to personal rebirths and large-scale rebirths.  It is certainly interesting to think about and keep in our minds as we continue on.  I wonder if the Escapist undergoes a rebirth, and if so, how is it significant?

As for the Golem, I too did a little research but turned up nothing more than you.  It seems this figure was sculpted from river mud, became animate for a time and helped the Jews of Prague, and now is inanimate again.  Perhaps this will play into the rebirth motif.

I am certainly enjoying the book.  At times, I have found it a little slow, but then I ask myself how slow could it really be for me to plow through 500 pages in a few days?  Chabon’s style is detailed and expansive, but (unlike McCarthy) I never find myself at the end of a paragraph wondering what was just said or why.

It goes without saying that the subject matter of a book will probably go a long way toward deciding whether you like it or not, regardless of the quality of the writing.  For instance, anglers are much more likely than non-anglers to find Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea a remarkable and exciting book (the non-anglers are foolish and wrong, but that is not the point).  Jake and I may like a novel because the characters are fly fisherman, even if the writing is not fantastic.  The Brothers K by David James Duncan will absolutely blow the mind of a baseball fan, whereas other just may regard it more casually.

If you are comic book fan, and especially if you are a true connoisseur, I would guess that you would enjoy this novel about as much as it is possible for somebody to enjoy a book.  As I mentioned in the introduction, I am not a comic book aficionado, but Chabon's descriptions of their history and their development are very interesting.  While I still do not anticipate getting into comic books after I finish this book, in my eyes Chabon has validated them as an art form.

Until Next Time-

Matt

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay through p. 85 - Ryan

I’ll start by giving Jake kudos for the selection.  So far I am hooked.  Now on to my scanty attempt at a little critical analysis: Chabon’s early use of the rebirth metaphor as seen through Kavalier’s worship of Houdini and his own pursuit of the fabled escapist’s endevors – is a nice hook on an individual level.  I find myself instantly routing for this kid, and hoping he hits it big in America.  Not bad...

At the same time, the notion of a rebirth – on a macro level – is a bit eerie when one considers the backdrop of what’s going on in Europe right now, given that we all know (with the benefit of hindsight) that the rest of the Jews of Europe will be facing down death in the not too distant future.  It was chilling for me to think of rebirth on this level (in terms of say the future founding of the Israel) because between the two events there is a level of death and destruction, particularly of a sophisticated nature, that makes me, for one, embarrassed to be a human being.  Rebirth indeed.

I suspect that we’ll see this notion of rebirth continue; Chabon already alludes to it briefly when mentioning Clay’s “caterpillar schemes," and at this point I’m wondering if we’ll see several births and rebirths between these two main characters as they face up to what is going on at this moment in history.

Enough with my attempts at discerning intent; now on to the Golem.  Frankly, I was determined to see if I could figure out what they were talking about.  My best friend growing up was a secular Jew, and I was exposed to some elements of his more faithful relatives at times, so I felt I would be able to draw upon some recessed memories from my youth to somehow figure out what the hell there were talking about.  I was wrong.

And so after finishing Part I, I immediately went to the world wide internets for a quick tutorial.  What I found was unsatisfying, if not more confusing.  From what I gathered the story of the Golem of Prague is about a mystical being created from local river clay in order help the Jews defend them against Christian persecution.    

Question – can either of you, or perhaps one of our loyal followers with a better understanding derived from a source more respected than Wikipedia shed some light on this topic?  I feel like the Golem might come back into play down the road, and if that’s the case I’d like to be armed with a better understanding the second go round.

On the Selection of The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay- Matt

Michael Chabon's The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay is a book I have made my way to in the aisles of bookstores on more than one occasion, and for one reason or another, always put it back on the shelf. 

I took a look at it the first time because of the Pulitzer Prize and the good buzz surrounding it.  Somebody gave me The Yiddish Policeman's Union as a gift, and for one reason or another, I figured I would read Kavalier and Clay first.  As it turns out, I have still not read either.

I again made my way to Michael Chabon after watching and loving the movie Wonderboys and learning that it was based on a book of his.  While I was not in the mood to read Wonderboys, having just seen the movie, I took another look at The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay.

I think I put it back once because I was not in mood for a historical novel; I was looking for something present day.  I put it back another time because it seemed the setting was New York and Europe, and I prefer locales a little wilder, and another time because comic books seemed be involved and I am not much of a comic book guy.  In the past though, when, for one reason or another, I read something that I normally would put back on the shelf, I often enjoy it and a few are among my favorite books.  I am glad Jake has finally forced my hand into reading this one.

As a book that has been on my radar for a number of years, I am looking forward to it, but as a book that I have put back on the shelf a number of times, I have reasonable expectations.  It is possible that McCarthy being compared to McMurtry before I ever flipped a page may have doomed him from the start.

I am going to dive in.

Until Next Time- Matt