Patrick deWitt is not a very prolific writer, and this is only the second novel of his that I've read, but as I felt just after reading The Sisters Brothers a few years ago, I can't wait to see what's next. I just hope it doesn't take so long for me to "rediscover" deWitt next time around.
The Librarianist is not a novel that I would have ever expected from Patrick deWitt because in so many ways it is completely different from his novel The Sisters Brothers, a wild shoot-em-up western with great characters. The Librarianist does explore some of the same issues addressed in that one, but the setting is closer to the present day this time, and the main character is a 71-year-old retired librarian searching for some meaning to the rest of his life. Librarian Bob Comet could not be more different from either of the Sisters brothers if he tried. The laugh-out-loud humor that made The Sisters Brothers so much fun is replaced here by a more subtle, but no less effective, style of humor that keeps sneaking up on the reader when least expected.
The rest of Bob's life begins on the morning that he stumbles upon a near catatonic woman while on one of his daily walks and decides to return her to a nearby assisted-living facility. Bob has not felt so useful in a long time, so he decides to volunteer some regular hours at the center mingling with its residents and day- care visitors. But exactly who is Bob Comet and how did he manage to reach this late stage of his life with no family or friends anywhere to be found?
Patrick deWitt uses flashbacks to fill in those blanks. What is a little different about deWitt's flashbacks, however, is that they take up the bulk of the novel and, the longer one reads them, the younger Bob becomes, ending with a long section about the time Bob ran away from home, before finally returning to the present. I admit to getting a little frustrated at times by the length of the flashback section of the book, but by the time I finished that section I realized just how well I now knew the Bob Comet character and what made him the man he turned out to be. And then deWitt hit me with an ending that so effectively tied everything together, that my rating jumped a whole star based on the construction of the novel I had been questioning.
From what I see, The Librarian is getting mixed reviews, but I'm rating it a full four stars because I find it so memorable a story.
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| Patrick deWitt (jacket photo) |
I am glad you ended up liking the construction of the novel. The fact that the main character is around my age makes it interesting to me. I finally found my copy of The Sisters Brothers, so I will check that out first.
ReplyDeleteThey are very different novels, Tracy, but deWitt is still deWitt in each. I love his style of humor; if you find you do to, you will most likely enjoy both of these.
DeleteI like the sound of this one, but I think I'm even more curious to read The Sisters Brothers. I do love a fun western. :D
ReplyDeleteIt's fun and it's bloody. But the brothers are really funny at times. And that's not so easy to do in a novel like this one.
DeleteI actually wanted to like this one because DeWitt has some other good novels ... but I thought Bob as a librarian was a dull character. The one part I liked was his friendship with the two old ladies playwrights when he escaped at age 11 to Oregon ... I think it was. Now they were funny! He not so much.
ReplyDeleteBob didn't have a whole lot going for him, but I think he felt satisfied with his life, sad as it turned out to be, by the end of the story. It's odd, the part I started to grow impatient about was the long section with the two old ladies...even though I felt bad that he never got a chance to thank them and say goodbye. We seem to have reacted to this one in all most the exactly opposite way. I love that.
DeleteHi Sam, Patrick DeWitt is a new author to me and it's amazing how many authors I have on my book list. There is just so much talent out there. The Libriarinist sounds like a sad book but then again as with Such Kindness (which I will be reading) this is real life.
ReplyDeleteThere really is, Kathy, and deWitt is one of the ones who really impress me. He's just kooky enough that he doesn't cross the line, but I never know what to expect from him. I'm going to explore his short backlist to see what else I can find. It's definitely a sad book in that the man wonders if his life has really meant anything.
DeleteI've seen several interesting reviews (such as yours) of this book recently, so it appears that it is getting read rather widely. I don't really think it is my cup of tea but I'm glad you found it an enjoyable read.
ReplyDeleteIt was kind of funny, Dorothy. I really was frustrated with it's anti-chronological flashbacks for a long time, the way that the main character kept getting younger as I read. Then deWitt pulled it all together in a really nicely written conclusion that made me see how brilliantly his construction worked in the long run. I think a lot of readers give up on this one maybe a little too soon.
ReplyDeleteI'm looking forward to reading this one. I'd forgotten that he'd written The Sisters Brothers (which I enjoyed).
ReplyDeleteHe uses the same style of wry humor in both novels, Cathy, although a good bit less in The Librarianist than in The Sisters Brothers. There's just something about his style that really appeals to me even though I find it difficult to describe what that is.
DeleteThis one sounds pretty appealing to me! I've got another of his novels, French Exit, on my kindle so should probably read that first. I was purchasing way too many kindle daily deals for a while and have been trying to get caught up with them ever since.
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean about purchases; I keep buying even physical copies and they just keep stacking up because of all the brand new stuff that catches my eye. I haven't gone back to find deWitt's earlier titles yet, but I know I will soon. It's just inevitable.
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