Thursday, July 28, 2011
Tree of Codes
Read from Thursday, July 28th to Thursday, July 28th.
I have finally read Tree of Codes, by Jonathan Safran Foer. I ordered it online in December, and it did not arrive until May, and I finally read it this afternoon in an hour and a half in a coffee shop. It is a short read, just really a long poem, with a different die cut on each page. The brilliance of this book rests completely on the unique form, descriptions of which by me will not do it justice. It is a sculpture and a work of art.
Each die-cut shows a different series of words, and you read the page as it appears before you. This can be very tricky, as some words and phrases are partially blocked. I kind of got into a rhythm after awhile though, and only read the complete words and phrases. Of course, some words were removed each time you turned the page, and some were uncovered each time as well. There were some strings of connections that stayed for many pages at a time, and were modified each page turn slowly but methodically. It also helps to think of it all as a poem, and so it is not supposed to be grammatically correct, and since the language is beautiful to begin with, the reader cannot go wrong by adding in a phrase that they read on the page.
Thematically, it is difficult to get a full picture of the plot. It is the story of a father on his last day alive, and the peace he makes with his son as he withers away, but also the resentment the son feels for his mother. As the father dies, the entire world feels the pain and erupts mournfully. Of course, that is just my interpretation of the book, and I am sure it can be read many different ways. As I've mentioned before, the book is taken from Street of Crocodiles, by Bruno Schulz, which I reviewed back in November. The language is still so beautiful, and I could recognize certain phrases from when I read the book, and I remember certain plot points that came out in Tree of Codes, things like the map of the city, and the comet at the end of the novel.
I highly recommend checking out this book. Even if it is difficult to read and comprehend, there are some wonderful phrases that are pieced together. "The world to lose some of its whispering, like boats waiting," is an example of three different phrases strung together, and it was one of my favorites. Four and a half out of five stars.
P.S. This marks 10 books for the month of July! I reached my goal with a few days to spare! Working on number 11 now, I think I might be able to make it.
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