Seeing that it was the anniversary of the Trinity bomb explosion yesterday, it seemed appropriate to give Einstein's Monsters a re-reading. Consistent of five short stories dealing with the influence that nuclear warfare has on society as well as one short essay on the same topic by Amis, Einstein's Monsters is largely compulsively readable, although there are a few bumps along the road. Since...
more Seeing that it was the anniversary of the Trinity bomb explosion yesterday, it seemed appropriate to give Einstein's Monsters a re-reading. Consistent of five short stories dealing with the influence that nuclear warfare has on society as well as one short essay on the same topic by Amis, Einstein's Monsters is largely compulsively readable, although there are a few bumps along the road. Since there isn't much in the collection, I'll break it down story by story (in case you're ever in Borders and want to read the book for free):
"Thinkability" is Amis's essay (written in 1987) on nuclear warfare. While just as relevant today as it was twenty years ago, this piece often comes off as preachy and heavy-handed, leading readers such as myself to continuously flip to essay's end to see how many pages are left before being finished with this unwanted and semi-bizarre lecture. The message is good, but wears thin as it takes several highly opinionated turns. Then again, nukes are the kind of thing that we NEED strong opinions on, so perhaps this was done in the right.
"Bujack and the Strong Force or God's Dice" is probably the best story in this collection, although it wasn't my favorite. Told from the point of view of a Jewish suburban man whose life is invaded by Bujack, a hulking-but-kindly Pollack, "Bujack" concerns itself with revenge, strength, justice, and human interaction. The last paragraph of this story will have you staring on in thought for a long time.
Certain moment in "Insight at Flame Lake" came across as unintentionally hilarious; this story, about a family which takes their baby's schizophrenic uncle (Dan) camping with them, features some of the best character development in the entire collection. The narrative structure (criss-crossing journal entries between Ned, the father, and Dan) allowed for some comical insight into Dan's way of thinking, albeit tragic in the end.
"The Time Disease" is one of those bumps in the book--it's a love it or hate it kind of story. While the concept was realistic and original enough, the narrator was too dry, and the whole story seemed to endlessly brew in its own angst, never relenting even once.
My least favorite story in the collection was "The Little Puppy That Could" an absurd evolutionary tale about a puppy and his female companion. Told in the voice of an omniscient children's book narrator, you'll find your eyes mindlessly drifting from the book by the fifth page, after having read "The Little Puppy" twenty trillion hundred times. Amis is usually spot-on in his writing, but this whole piece felt forced and was difficult to read and follow as a result.
The final story in the collection, "The Immortals", redeems the entire book in both quality and content. Concerned with a post-apocalyptic world, The Immortals is told through the voice of one of the last surviving humans on Earth--who believes himself to have existed since the beginning of time. Playfully-written and expertly-executed, this story works as a great end piece for Amis's anti-nuke book, and leaves the reader feeling satisfied but also driven to act.
Overall a great collection, but it loses points for The Little Puppy That Could.
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