At 252 pages, Kevin Brockmeier’s latest fictional offering, The Brief History of the Dead, has garned both praise and derision for either being too brief, or entirely too long. With an ending that excites some and disappoints others, The Brief History of the Dead is sure to be named among those books that one either loves or despises.
I have been held captive by Kevin Brockmeier’s writing for the entire weekend. I cannot deny that I closed the final page with some disappointment as I was not yet ready to be parted from these characters and also because of the reservations I have about the way the novel ends. That being said, I awoke this morning with a feeling of electricity and this tale still buzzing around inside of me.
The Brief History of the Dead was a recent (Friday) Christmas gift from Pat whose cover image and description made it irresistable to me. I began reading it the moment I arrived home from our Christmas brunch. The story follows a number of people who inhabit The City, a place presumably between places, that is populated by those who have died and yet are still remembered by those left alive. One of those left alive is Laura Byrd, a researcher for the Coca Cola company, trapped alone in Antarctica, struggling to survive and make contact with the outside world. The chapters of the book each have a brief title that make up the outline of the overall story. The chapters of the book alternate between the people in the city (the odd chapters) and Laura in Antarctica (the even chapters) thus we get to see both the living and the dead as they progress towards the climax of the story. The back jacket states that “Kevin Brockmeier alternates these two story lines to create a lyrical and haunting tale about love, loss, and the power of memory.” and I am in full agreement. By the end of the first chapter I was lost in the lyrical quality of his writing and was reading snippets of it out loud to my wife.
The book opens with an introduction to The City and its inhabitants. The reader is introduced to many of the varied persons who will populate this tale by brief, slice-of-life, glimpses into who these people are, or were. It is in this first chapter that the story grabs the reader’s attention and will not let go. There are literally paragraph after paragraph in each person’s story that I could take out and post in this review as examples of why I was pulled so strongly into this story:
Jeffrey Fallon, sixteen, from Park Falls, Wisconsin…”What do you want me to tell you?” he asked, shrugging his shoulders. “Mostly I just miss my girlfriend.” Her name was Tracey Tipton, and she did this thing with his earlobes and the notched edge of her front teeth that made his entire body go taut and buzz like a guitar string. He had never given his earlobes a second thought until the day she took them between her lips, but now that he was dead he thought of nothing else. Who would have figured?
Andres Andreopoulos, who had written code for computer games the whole forty years of his adult life, remembered leaping to pluck a leaf from a tree, and opening a fashion magazine to smell the perfume inserts, and writing his name in the condensation on a glass of beer. They preoccupied him–these formless, almost clandestine memories. They seemed so much heavier than they should have been, as if they were where the true burden of life’s meaning lay. He sometimes thought of piecing them together into an autobiography, all the toy-sized memories that had replaced the details of his work and family, and leaving everything else out. He would write it by hand on sheets of unlined notebook paper. He would never touch a computer again.
Laura Byrd’s story is equally compelling and filled with the kind of tension and suspense that one would expect from a tale of a lone person struggling against the bleak conditions of a trek over the arctic landscape. As this is a story about memory, the moments where Laura takes herself, and the reader, back into her previous life are those that intersect artfully with characters in the other thread of the story. Brockmeier weaves a sense of connection between the characters so deftly that even those who one only gets a glimpse of in the tale end up mattering to the reader.
After I finished the book I went and read some reader reactions on Amazon. They ranged from those loving every moment of the story to those who felt like the entire novel is a waste of time. As Kevin Brockmeier’s skill is readily apparent from the first chapter, those reviews are easy to disregard. It is really the 3 and 4 star reviews that have any substance. The ending chapters of the book, one resolving Laura’s storyline and the other resolving that of the people in The City, could either make or break the experience for you. My initial reaction after closing the book was that I wasn’t sure if I liked the book or not. That lasted all of about three minutes as I quickly came to the realization that I was buzzing inside with anticipation about talking about this book and the characters that Brockmeier so gracefully brought to life. The second to last chapter of Laura’s story, in my opinion, should have been the end of her tale. It was moving and suspenseful and gut-wrenching. It was good. Unfortunately Brockmeier chose to add a final chapter for her that becomes a miasma of existential thinking and metaphysical metaphors that I found exasperating to read. It ties in to an experience of one of the inhabitants in The City, and yet that connection didn’t make it any more interesting to read. Had it been the final chapter of the book itself, I may have found myself flinging the book away in frustration. Thankfully it was not and the reader is treated to a suspenseful and melancholic last chapter dealing with The City that, while not tying every thread into a neat little bow, certainly leaves one with a sense of wonder and provokes a lot of emotion and thought about the characters and the story.
It is only chapter 14 that causes me to recommend this book with reservations. My thoughts 10 hours after finishing the book is that it is among the best books I have read this year and I certainly think that many of you would find it a worthwhile read. It doesn’t have a typical “Hollywood ending”, if such a comparison is even appropriate when talking about books, but it does have a very satisfying ending if one can get past the oddity of chapter 14. I also have no doubt that Laura’s final chapter would be the highlight of the story for some, it was just a little too philosophical for me to enjoy.
To recap, I highly recommend The Brief History of the Dead by Kevin Brockmeier and would love to hear the thoughts of any of you who may have already had your own experience with this story. For that is what reading it is, an experience. One cannot help getting entwined in the lives of the people living in this story and I venture that you, like me, will be very reluctant to let these dear people go. All this writing and I haven’t even touched on the post-apocalyptic nature of the story, the romance, the quaintness of some of the characters, etc. A lot happens to you the reader in these 252 pages. Get it and read it and let’s talk about it!
My apologies to John whose grave marker is part of the composition of my opening image. I can only hope that John was a reader and will forgive the liberty taken with his resting place.
I haven’t read it, but it sounds fascinating (and a little reminiscent of The Lovely Bones, which I liked).
As for John, I’m certain he won’t mind.
Oh, and I meant to say — what a great cover!
I have never even heard of this book before. I will have to check it out! Santa better be really good to me with gift cards this year….
Nevermind, when I looked at the cover before I thought there was a person, not just a coat. I’m seeing things!
What a fabulous review, Carl! You sold me. Completely! This sounds like one I will totally love. And I thank you for the “warning” about chapter 14…without your heads-up, I’m afraid it might have really thrown me (I like to understand what I’m reading), but with your comments in mind I think I should be fine. (If any of that made a bit of sense, I will be quite surprised.) Anyway, this is one I’m definitely getting with my gift cards! Thanks!
Alrighty! Another one onto the wishlist. This one sounds like a definite winner in my book. Love the two passages you posted. I’m sure I’ll enjoy his writing!
When I first saw this post, the first thing I wondered was “I wonder if he knows this John fellow that he threw the book on top of?” :p
Nope…I figured though that he lived long enough ago that hopefully I was forgoing any lawsuits!
I think you’d enjoy this Debi. I also think that with my comments about it, those who read this will no doubt find the infamous chapter 14 to be much less of an issue than it was for me.
If you are planning on reading this I hope you post about it right after so that we can discuss it. It is a book that cries out for discussion.
Oh, I completely agree with everything you say about this book. I really enjoyed it but found the concluding chapter lacking in power compared to the rest of the novel. I lent it to two friends and they both admired it as well…our consensus was basically it was so different from anything else we’d read all year, and on that level alone was worth it! Loved this book!
Glad to hear from someone who has read the book, Courtney. As I said on your site, I sit here blown away by the experience of having read the book and am wondering just how amazingly fantastic this book would have been without the slightly flawed ending.
I read this book earlier this year and I absolutely loved it! Perhaps because I’d read several other bloggers who loved it but had reservations about the ending, I wasn’t as taken aback by it as I otherwise might have been. The metaphysical chapter was my least favorite chapter, but other than that I thought the ending was spot on. I loved its inconclusiveness – it was both tragic and hopeful, which I thought was very much in keeping with the themes of the rest of the book. I’m really happy you enjoyed it. I’m keeping an eagle eye out for Brockmeier’s next work.
Tragic and hopeful is an apt description of the book and I loved that about it. I see in the back of this book that he has a short story collection coming out in March of 2008 called The View From the Seventh Layer that I am definitely interested in picking up.
After we talked about this book today I was even more intrigiued to read it. Can’t wait.
I don’t think “John” will complain or sue you!.. although… he could be a ghost or vampire and HAUNT YOU! (or worse!) *snicker*
I can live with the haunting…I guess. 🙂
Yes, it was fun putting my thoughts into words with you this morning Jeff while I was in the middle of this review. Thanks!
I had never heard of this book before, but you made it sound irresistible. I love the passages you shared. It’s too bad about chapter 14, but the books sounds like a winner despite it.
I’m so glad you included those passages, Carl. I’ve seen the book at work, but haven’t had any inclination to even read the back cover. Now I’m convinced I NEED to read this book! Given our situation (of loss), do you think it will be too upsetting for me or my husband to read?
Oh goodie!! I bought this during a weak moment at Border’s one day. It was on the 3 for 2 table. It just looked so good. Glad to hear it is!!
Great review!!
It is a winner, Nymeth.
I don’t think it would be too upsetting, Les. I think it is a very hopeful book myself, though there is some degree of sadness in it.
You’ll be glad you bought it Stephanie.
I picked up a copy of this book at the Library last night and can’t wait to crack into it.
Awesome Jeff, I look forward to talking to you about it.
This one is on my list for the TBR challenge next year. Glad to hear i may like it.
Oh man, another book to add to my list!
I’ve been meaning to get this one for ages. I’m glad to hear it’s worth the time to read it! Great review Carl!
Wow! I did good! And since it would be too tacky to borrow it from you, being a present and all, I think I’ll go get my own.
You can certainly borrow it Pat, I don’t mind.
thanks for the very thorough and intriguing review!
this certainly sounds interesting and worth having a look at – if nothing else but for the concept alone.
Thanks, I’ll wait until I return the ones I have.
I’ve seen this type of narrative use before in Murakami’s ‘Hard Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World’. It makes for an interesting read. That book was full of existential questions and I loved every minute of it.
I’ve really got to read Murakami sometime. Which one do you recommend to start with Cameron?
You seemed to enjoy this more than I did; I liked it but had some reservations. Like you mentioned, I wasn’t sure I bought the ending. Your suggestion that the 2nd last chapter should have ended the book would have made it much stronger, I think. My review is on my blog – I read this as part of my Polar reading project.
http://indextrious.blogspot.com/search?q=brief+history
This book was a quick read for me. I finished most of it over the 3 days leading up and including Christmas. Since then I’ve been thinking how I felt about this book over and over in my head. Overall I have come to the conclusion that I liked it more than not. I would give it 3 out of 5 stars. I really enjoyed the messges in the book most of all and that in the long run outweighs my disappointment with the last 2 chapters. I really enjoyed Laura’s story and her chapters kept me reading but it’s truely the chapters in the city that make this book for me. The ideas that people in the city bring up and remind the reader of are what I really took from this book more than the suspense of the Laura chapters. I also loved the connection between the city and Laura’s world and the meanings of both. Very interesting concept. The book though would have been much better served though by stopping at the end of the chapter 13. The next two chapters don’t add anything to the book and in fact cloud the main thrust of the book in my mind. I would have rated this book higher if the author had known when to end it. Since this is such an idea book it’s not like he can give you a definitive answer anyhow so by going on and on he delutes the impact of the idea in my opinion. Thanks again for the review Carl. I’m really glad I picked this one up. Picking up a library copy was the best for me though because this isn’t one I needed to own at the end of the day. Love the cover though so it’s hard not to own it just for that cover.
Great thoughts. I can actually see myself reading this again in the future but stopping with chapter 13. It will be really interesting if Warner Bros. or some other studio actually makes this into a film. I would love to see what they do with it. I think your assessment is very fair. I liked both Laura’s story and the characters in the city. The City portions certainly had the more touching things to say about life. It certainly is a book that stays with you days after reading it.
I read this when it came out about a year ago, I think. I liked it at the time. Now i want to reread it. I thought it was poignant and hopeful; the story of the scientists in Anarctica was very troubling to me.