"S." is a book written by Doug Dorst and published in 2013. The general concept of the book was given by J.J. Abrams. It is a novelty book in that it isn't constructed in the usual way. I'll explain.
The idea of "S." is that you come across a novel that originates from a library, and when you open it, you find that it is completely covered in notes written by two other people. The book itself is called "Ship of Theseus" and was written by a fictional author named V.M. Straka. Although it is stated in the copyright page that it was published in 1949, this is also a part of the fiction. Everything you see once you crack open the book is the work of Doug Dorst.
After trying to read both the book and the notes being sent back and forth by two people within the margins, I found that I couldn't do it. I had to read the chapter first and then go back and read through the notes as if it was a separate story. This book was work. It was like reading two books at one time that was the exact same book. It about drove me nuts, but I did it. It only took me forever. (It felt like forever.)
"Ship of Theseus" was not a bad story, but it never quite breaks out of the realm of the surreal. From beginning to end, it feels like a dream. It's about a man only named S. who, despite losing his memory, spends his entire life trying to stop an evil man from running the world through arms deals. It's a bit like trying to take down the illuminate. But S. doesn't ever feel like he is fully inside the reality where all this is happening. At times, it even feels like he is writing the story that he is in, and causing things to happen through his own words. I know this sounds bizarre, but I don't have any other way to explain it. The story just sort of works like this.
At other times, he does feel like he is there and dealing with it first hand, but it always slips back into the dreamlike world where it feels like he is more of a ghost. Don't get me wrong; I liked this a lot, only it took a lot out of me. The story was extremely exhausting.
The notes within the margins were interesting, but I never found them as poignant as the book in which they were written in. It was two college students that were researching the author of the book and going through a bit of intrigue in their own lives. It was interesting how they would often experience similar things as what was happening in the story at the time they would make an entry. Often times this would lead to them underlining something from the book and then commenting on how they were going though a similar thing.
The book also had... items included within the pages. Articles, photographs, postcards, complete written letters, and even a decoder wheel were included throughout the book. This was one of the most authentic aspects, in that everything looked and felt real. The different types of paper used, condition, and even certain stains were added to create the effect that this was a genuine thing you had run across out in the wild world of literature.
In fact, the whole book was designed to feel authentic. It feels like an old library book that had been tampered with far too many times. In that sense, this may be the most beautiful book ever made in the sense that an inordinate amount of work was accomplished to make it feel authentic. I love that. I really do. I think it's beautiful that so much love and effort was put into something like this. It is art and a great example of how art can be genuinely good.
But honestly, after it is all done, I really just want to move on to something simpler. I'm so tired of exploring the world of "S." that I just need to take a break from novelty books in general. But do I recommend it? Here we have a weird issue.
In brief, I do actually recommend it because of what it is, but that doesn't mean I particularly liked the story it had to tell. That is not to say that the story was bad, but it wasn't, in my opinion, as good as it could have been. It left me feeling only slightly satisfied, not because I was hungry for more, but because I just wanted a more definitive ending. In that, I am a little sad. But it is very easy for me to say that there is no other book so well produced as this one, and if you are ever willing to take that strange journey, you should. But if you'd rather keep to the more traditional works of literature out there (and there is no shame in that whatsoever) then Godspeed. "S." is not for the faint of heart. It is work from beginning to end, and I am happy that it exists in this world.
This blog was written on December 9, 2022.
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Endings are the hardest part to get right, especially in a book that is immersive. Very interesting that such an elaborate project was undertaken. It seems the makers were inspired.
ReplyDeleteInteresting that the story goes beyond the core in that there are outside perspectives that are their own story. I like when people go outside the box, even if the results aren't ideal they are interesting.
ReplyDeleteIt's existence is more interesting than the story's ending. I really am still amazed.
DeleteThis book reminds me of the escape room experience. A good portion of that was looking through books and examining various objects to figure things out. It was difficult, but also enjoyable.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure there was a lot I missed or misunderstood, but I was in it more to experience it and move on.
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