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From Publishers Weekly
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From Booklist
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
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Most helpful customer reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Markson is a Master,
By
This review is from: Vanishing Point: A Novel (Paperback)
I picked up this book a bit apprehensively, being aware of Markson's experimental style of narration. How could this possibly be termed a "novel" if it is merely a collection of facts from literature, history, music, politics, philosophy and religion? On a foundation such as this, how can one build the basic elements of plot, character and setting? As I read the book, however, I found myself marvelling at Markson's unique skill and vision. The "Author" of the novel arranges his massive collection of information in such a way that the elements in question are completed in the mind of the reader, like looking at an incomplete picture and mentally filling in the blanks. By the end of the book, I was acutely aware of having been moved - remarkably by a superficially disjointed series of anecdotes. Like Author, I was unwittingly swept into the vaguely existant narrative and pressed together the covers with a satisfying sense of enrichment. The flawless blend of tragedy, humor, ambition and madness in the world of human creativity (and destruction) remind the reader of the pleasures and pains of being in touch with truth. Markson will be remembered for this one.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Vanishing Point,
This review is from: Vanishing Point: A Novel (Paperback)
David Markson's latest book, Vanishing Point, is unlike any novel I've ever read. Like Markson's other works, it is avante-garde, experimental and highly original. It has no narrative or plot to speak of, yet conveys its theme in a remarkably engaging fashion.The novel begins by telling us that "Author has finally started to put his notes into manuscript form," that he has been scribbling notes onto 3x5 index cards and that the cards now fill two shoeboxes. With that, the novel launches into nearly 200 pages of the scribblings and notes themselves. The notes are a seemingly random reiteration of trivia and musings concerning art, literature, history, science and civilization. Sometimes the notes contain anecdotes or facts; at other times the notes consist of little more than a name or phrase. Gradually, we learn that Author is elderly, enervated and without motivation to do much more than rearrange the order of the cards. Here and there, we learn what Author has in mind --"a novel of intellectual reference and allusion...minus much of the novel." A sense of order begins to appear and the theme emerges that everything is sliding toward death. This novel is never boring and, despite its formlessness, is actually quite difficult to put down. There is an almost addictive quality to the notes. Markson's protagonists are often isolated and almost hermetically sealed off from social contact and relationships. Yet these characters have genuine insight into the human condition and express humanist feelings. The protagonist in this novel is no exception. By the book's end, I found myself laughing with and shedding a tear over a sparsely-developed, unnamed character whose inner life I was only allowed to glimpse through a collection of jotted notes. In that sense, Vanishing Point is an amazing work.
1 of 2 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not Your Usual Novel,
By
This review is from: Vanishing Point: A Novel (Paperback)
It seems that "Author" has been collecting materials for his next novel on 3x5 index cards, and is about ready to start pulling the book together, but somehow he can't do it. We are presented with the cards--snippets of history, criticism, lines of poetry, dates, places where famous people died, dates when famous people died, snide remarks of famous people about other famous people, thoughts about death and dying, phrases in Italian, French, Latin, Aramaic, Hebrew. This is not a novel in any conventional sense. There is no plot, there are no characters, there are no chapters. Nothing happens. The book is an extended meditation on the transitoriness of life and fame. Snippets and sayings and epigrams and bon mots from the ages. One senses that the "Author" is an old Jewish man, who has spent his life immersed in literature, art, poetry and history. He reveals little else about himself. The actual Author, David Markson, is obviously a man of great erudition. Whether he is a good writer, I really cannot say. I know that the book was hard to finish, tedious, with moments of high entertainment and humor. I'm glad that I finished it, but I can say, it's not for everyone. Reviewed by Louis N. Gruber
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