- Paperback: 228 pages
- Publisher: Nyhil (Jan 30 2006)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 9979971568
- ISBN-13: 978-9979971566
- Product Dimensions: 15.7 x 10.7 x 1 cm
- Shipping Weight: 227 g
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #108,221 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Details |
Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
In this unusual collection of what are arguably prose poems, sketches or pieces of flash fiction, husband and wife Ball (March Book, 2004) and Björnsdottir introduce a charming yet gruesome pair of protagonists: Vera and Linus. They are childlike, living in a world where giving presents and playing are top priority, but they are also devoted lovers and perhaps siblings. Their twisted fairy tale world is as magical as it is disturbing: in it, a treasure chest opens up to reveal an entire lake inside, and children and animals are tortured for the protagonists' amusement. Episodes of violence ("Vera and Linus broke the dog's neck and put the body into a brown canvas bag which they tied neatly with great satisfaction") are often sewn seamlessly into scenes of fanciful beauty: "...their sorrows were carried away... to the court of the sea-king, and dined on there to much acclaim...." The light touch and often archaic feel of the prose owes as much to Kafka as to classic fairy tales. Certainly many readers will find this book unsettling, but most will also find it hard not to remember a time when the world was filled with this kind of fearful mystery and wonder, though hopefully not this kind of violence. (Oct.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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2 reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
It's like early Borges with even more knives and a lot more midgets
Oct 24 2006
Format:Paperback
Ball and Bjornsdottir have made a hell of a thing. The book is written using a vague and methodical exquisite corpse technique which heightens the surrealism that is deeply imbedded in the core of this fine book. The "plot" (if you you want to call it that) of this thing centers around a beautiful, deranged, and extremely murderous pair of lovers who engage in all manner of butchery, carnage, torture, and unwilling bodily modifications in a strange and serene place. At one point in the book one of the authors (either Ball or Bjornsdottir, it's hard to tell without referring back to the decoder ring they invent in the book's preamble) break the fourth wall of the novel so as to threaten you, the reader, with the act of getting your face cut up with a razor.
The book is written with a highly effective brick-in-your-face style reminiscent of Borges' early short stories about cowboys and knife fights.
Highly recommended!
The book is written with a highly effective brick-in-your-face style reminiscent of Borges' early short stories about cowboys and knife fights.
Highly recommended!
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Beautiful from inside to out
Oct 10 2006
Format:Paperback
Before I began reading Vera & Linus, I was struck by the physical beauty of the book. The pages are extra thick with a nice rough feel. The edges are roughly cut. It is as if my book was hand made with care. In today's age of mass produced books, it is easy to forget that the book itself can be as much a piece of art as the words inside.
The story continues in the tradition of Mr. Ball's first publication, the March Book in that it uses vibrant language to describe a world that we can't quite be sure is real or in the imagination of the author.
The passages in the book are beautifully descriptive while often describing very painful scenes. I am reminded of one of my favorite stories, Patriotism by Yukio Mishima where the author descripes Seppuku in the most romantic of terms. I am so taken in by Mr. Ball's world that it is hard to remember if the author is speaking of the evil of the world or the most beautiful that life has to offer. In the end, I believe that we are to know that such a dichotemy does not exist.
The story continues in the tradition of Mr. Ball's first publication, the March Book in that it uses vibrant language to describe a world that we can't quite be sure is real or in the imagination of the author.
The passages in the book are beautifully descriptive while often describing very painful scenes. I am reminded of one of my favorite stories, Patriotism by Yukio Mishima where the author descripes Seppuku in the most romantic of terms. I am so taken in by Mr. Ball's world that it is hard to remember if the author is speaking of the evil of the world or the most beautiful that life has to offer. In the end, I believe that we are to know that such a dichotemy does not exist.
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