Thinks [Paperback]

 

 

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Here Lodge uses so many standard tricks that you could almost say he was parodying himself: university setting (Small World, Nice Work, Changing Places); a writer as persona (Therapy); parodying other writers (The British Museum Is Falling Down); an incorporated lecture (everything) - this time on consciousness, particularly as it relates to cognitive science and AI; altering perspectives (Therapy); altering styles (Changing Places, How Far Can You Go), particularly diarising (Paradise News, Therapy), lapsed Catholics (several), explaining/defending his writing technique to the reader as part of the text (most overtly in How Far Can You Go), oh, and, of course, fornication and/or adultery (everything). Maybe it's a conscious thing and trainspotters like myself are supposed to pick the deliberate references to all his other novels along the way: Robyn Penrose drops in; Keirkegaard is mentioned; Catholic birth control gets a cameo (although that's pretty endemic) etc.
 
As ever he's researched his topic thoroughly and made it palatable. There are passages of his bravely incisive honesty - as when he really gets down to the bones of what Helen (his lapsed catholic novelist/academic lead character) wanted out of her children's catholic education: a mild and conveniently temporary faith, and enough bible knowledge to appreciate such a rich store of literary allusion - something she probably couldn't admit to herself at the time. His settings generally feel authentic - he has the sense to depict the sort of places he's actually been, or to get good advice. Moreover his novels are tailor made to be discussed: glancing at the opening paragraph in this review, give me 2500 words on similarities and differences in this and any other of his books; here he gives Helen some perfect lines to lift to explain why a novelist (himself) would construct a book in a certain way. There are many pleasures in reading him.
 
That being said, however, the novel as a whole felt a bit hollow. I suspect its greatest weakness is the great morass of sex and talk about sex that you have to trawl through along the way. Extra-marital sex isn't quite the utter redemption/salvation it is of Out of the Shelter, Therapy and Paradise News - for a change bonking is not the climax and unequivocally happy resolution - and while Helen's affair does initially appear to do her a power of good, there's no future in it, and she actually begins to look quite foolish. However there are just too many pages devoted to the bedroom for Lodge to be merely offering mature analysis of an interesting topic without being overly coy. At some point it becomes gratuitous, just as Tom Clancy will gratuitously throw in car chases and flying bullets to distract us from his lack of insight. It's not quite erotic literature, but it's definitely voyeuristic - sort of a gossip novel, not getting carried away with detailing pulsating members and the like, but relishing just who's doing what to whom for just a bit too long and a bit too frequently.
 
And I really thought Lodge would be over this by now - I'm reminded of the fool chiding King Lear, something about how he couldn't be old because he's clearly not yet wise. When is he going to get this sex thing into perspective? It's not nothing, but it's not everything either. A while ago Lodge did pick that his local bishop may not have had all the answers, but doesn't appear to have lost faith in the philosophy of something as juvenile (and stupid) as Pretty Woman. The writer of Ecclesiastes gave it a fair burl, but did eventually work out that among other things sex wasn't the ultimate place to find meaning.

Lodge does at least seem to be self-aware enough to realise that sex does seem to dominate the book to an obsessive degree so, through mouthpiece Helen, he offers a defence. When she is questioned about the sex in *her* novels she explains that of course the frequency and deviancy is exaggerated, but more standard monogamous relationships just aren't interesting enough for the reader. This lame defence really isn't worthy of a writer who:
a)       has the skills to write about a range of issues, characters and experience without needing to fall back on titillation - as if it's the only possible subject that can sustain interest (he might as well endorse Clancy as writing the only readable fiction - readers can't cope unless there's a bomb about to go off somewhere and some macho posturing and biffo every few pages);
b)       has literally read thousands of good novels where titillation isn't used at all;
c)       has read myriad others that don't shy away for a moment from dealing powerfully with issues of fidelity and sexuality, without crossing the line into prurience (Lodge, in contrast, rushes over the line and can only manage to drift back again now and then). 
 
The irony for me (and I suspect many others) is that what is inadequately explained as a concession to entertain readers actually makes the novel more tedious. I don't read Lodge for seedy revelations, and I suppose if that was what I was after I could find better elsewhere anyway. He can write with passion, humour, insight and wit - but you have to endure a lot of other stuff to get there in this book.
 
So, a bit of a blast for one of my favourite writers - I'm more aggrieved I suppose because I hope for more - definitely more than just playing with styles almost as a student exercise and thinking lashings of sex can cover paucity of substance.

I read all of David Lodge's works of fiction when I discovered him about 15 years ago. Thereafter I read the odd one, but it's been nearly 5 years since I last read anything of his. I found this different from the others, yet not disappointing.

I could relate to most of the characters, and the story was believable, as well as containing a couple of twists that I didn't see coming. The scientific research on Artificial Intelligence was well-covered, so much so that I stopped after chapter 3 to see in the Acknowledgements where he had got his material from?

The parodies of Amis, Welsh, Beckett, Stein etc were excellent!

David Lodge has always been a bit of a "cult" writer. some of his other recent books were disappointing but Thinks... is a welcome return to form.
The book centers around the Ralph Messenger , a cognitive scientist at a British university and Helen Reed a recently widowed writer who is also on campus. Lodge is masterful with his characters and draws out the sexual tension between them.
Along the way Lodge provides a decent insight in to modern cognitive science theories (I've done some work in the field myself and Lodge presents theories accurately without becoming to technical).
Lodge works his magic with the characters building up a complex layered relationship . The book is filled with a dry humor and the academic setting serves as a interesting backdrop. It seems that Lodge's better books tend to be set against an academic background.

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4.0 out of 5 stars Polite construction
Now and then Lodge treats us to moments of great poetry, such as when the lonely Helen tries to evesdrop her neighbours:
"Once I pressed my ear to the wall and listened for... Read more

Published on April 30 2003 by PeterAnson

4.0 out of 5 stars Classic David Lodge, Slightly Mellowed
Yet another of David Lodge's satirical yet affectionate looks at university life. If you like David Lodge, you'll really like this one. Read more

Published on Dec 21 2002 by Leslie D. Ehrlich

1.0 out of 5 stars A disappointing and annoying book
This book left me hugely disappointed and annoyed: Firstly, with the critics who managed to find praise for such poor work, and secondly with the writer who conveys a false sense... Read more

Published on Jun 9 2002 by Michael Levitsky

5.0 out of 5 stars Lodge's batting average remains high
This is Lodge very nearly at his best (and I say that having read every word the man has ever written). Read more

Published on Jun 6 2002 by Michael K. Smith

1.0 out of 5 stars I really don't think this is Lodge's best
The David Lodge of Changing Places and Small World was great.These books are among my favourites. But THIS book... Read more

Published on May 21 2002 by Ventura Angelo

4.0 out of 5 stars skip the movie A.I. , read this book instead
Granted, I'm a fan of David Lodge, but after finding his last novel, Therapy, disappointing I approached Thinks... hesitantly. I didn't need to. Read more

Published on May 12 2002 by DavLibris

3.0 out of 5 stars another standard david lodge novel
I used to love reading David Lodge's novels. This one tires me. I got half way happily enough, but I can't find any reason to keep reading. Read more

Published on Mar 5 2002

1.0 out of 5 stars A dull and frustrating novel with unconvincing characters
Although I enjoy academic novels, and as a cognitive scientist, it is amusing to see references to it in literature, particularly when they're largely accurate, this book was... Read more

Published on Feb 1 2002 by Harlan Harris

2.0 out of 5 stars Lodge wasn't thinking about writing
When reading stream-of-consciousness, I'm reminded of Robert Frost's quote about free verse: "I'd sooner play tennis with the net down. Read more

Published on Jan 10 2002 by Larry M. Coleman

4.0 out of 5 stars Crying is a Puzzler
THINKS...By David Lodge
It's hard for me to write a review on this novel. For one thing there is uses one of my exercises, writing memoriam of today's thoughts as I feel... Read more

Published on Jan 10 2002 by Roger L. Lee

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