A few days ago, Silas received possibly the best review ever. It was on Amazon, from a man named Max, and it is fabulous. I'll post the text here for you all to see.
Wow. What a great book! It's not that often that I feel so at home with a writer. Paul Auster has that power over me. Douglas Kennedy as well, to a lesser extent. I love many others, but more in part, not word after word. Well, I guess Robert J. Duperre has just changed this state of things. It's like he's writing exactly what I wish I had written myself. If I had the talent.
About one-third into the book, I thought: "it's really well-written, and profound, and I like the characters. But I think I know why it's not more famous: it stays too much in one, very domestic, place." I just literally had to turn the page to lose all my bearings. What already was a good book became an amazing one.
Not just for the sake of imagination, because too much of that can result in a childish accumulation of outlandish scenes. Everything that had been mentioned, had been mentioned for a reason and was used again later in a way I would never have imagined. Silas is not only a kick-ass adventure story, it's a truly literary accomplishment. First, it's told from a first-person point of view, by an old man recounting his past, which offers a first post-modernist and metafictional element: he might be lying to us, the reader, or at least altering the facts. I'm not saying this just to sound clever (though I like that too): not to spoil the story, but it does have its importance toward the end when the narrator decides to keep a part of his adventures to "himself" (which means us too...) and tell his wife an edulcorated version. Who is to say he hasn't been doing the same to us all along? (which he has, of course, because this is FICTION).
But enough with this metafictional stuff... Silas is pure pleasure too, not only (but more than it might seem) highbrow stuff. That's something I really like too, when an author combines pop culture and more "difficult" things. Here, Star Wars and Jean-Paul Sartre are mentioned in almost the same breath. Passages reminded me of Wells's The Time Machine or The island of Dr Moreau. I thought of the series Lost at times, but I won't say why because you need to discover that amazing story for yourself. The book / movie Silence of the Lambs too. There's a "lost children" aspect of things that hit close to Peter Pan too. Many other works come to mind, but I'm not trying to make the longest list of references here, I just want to show why this novel is ambitious and why it's such a more than satisfying read. It really is a modern tale, with real feelings, action that keeps you on the edge of your seat, suspense that does just that much, a good sense of humour, .... It's got everything.
Finally, what about Silas, the narrator's dog, then? Well, his name is the title of the book, right? So it won't surprise anyone if I say he's just key to the whole story. And don't expect a simple buddy / sidekick with the wonder lab Silas. He's much more than that. Let's just say that this tale / adventure - science fiction - thriller - action - suspense story is also (!!!) a picaresque novel of homeric proportions, a coming-of-age novel, a quest in which the narrator finds his true self, a feat he would never have been able to accomplish without his precious animal. Transformation / metamorphosis is indeed one of the main recurring themes throughout the story. As well as evolution, from one state to another, and creation (another metafictional element, as it sends us back to the act of writing in itself). All said and done: great book, highly recommended. Congratulations to its author, Robert J. Duperre, a really great writer.
See what I mean? Fantastic. I'm always honored when someone can be that analytical about my work. It really is much appreciated.
- RJD
Wow. What a great book! It's not that often that I feel so at home with a writer. Paul Auster has that power over me. Douglas Kennedy as well, to a lesser extent. I love many others, but more in part, not word after word. Well, I guess Robert J. Duperre has just changed this state of things. It's like he's writing exactly what I wish I had written myself. If I had the talent.
About one-third into the book, I thought: "it's really well-written, and profound, and I like the characters. But I think I know why it's not more famous: it stays too much in one, very domestic, place." I just literally had to turn the page to lose all my bearings. What already was a good book became an amazing one.
Not just for the sake of imagination, because too much of that can result in a childish accumulation of outlandish scenes. Everything that had been mentioned, had been mentioned for a reason and was used again later in a way I would never have imagined. Silas is not only a kick-ass adventure story, it's a truly literary accomplishment. First, it's told from a first-person point of view, by an old man recounting his past, which offers a first post-modernist and metafictional element: he might be lying to us, the reader, or at least altering the facts. I'm not saying this just to sound clever (though I like that too): not to spoil the story, but it does have its importance toward the end when the narrator decides to keep a part of his adventures to "himself" (which means us too...) and tell his wife an edulcorated version. Who is to say he hasn't been doing the same to us all along? (which he has, of course, because this is FICTION).
But enough with this metafictional stuff... Silas is pure pleasure too, not only (but more than it might seem) highbrow stuff. That's something I really like too, when an author combines pop culture and more "difficult" things. Here, Star Wars and Jean-Paul Sartre are mentioned in almost the same breath. Passages reminded me of Wells's The Time Machine or The island of Dr Moreau. I thought of the series Lost at times, but I won't say why because you need to discover that amazing story for yourself. The book / movie Silence of the Lambs too. There's a "lost children" aspect of things that hit close to Peter Pan too. Many other works come to mind, but I'm not trying to make the longest list of references here, I just want to show why this novel is ambitious and why it's such a more than satisfying read. It really is a modern tale, with real feelings, action that keeps you on the edge of your seat, suspense that does just that much, a good sense of humour, .... It's got everything.
Finally, what about Silas, the narrator's dog, then? Well, his name is the title of the book, right? So it won't surprise anyone if I say he's just key to the whole story. And don't expect a simple buddy / sidekick with the wonder lab Silas. He's much more than that. Let's just say that this tale / adventure - science fiction - thriller - action - suspense story is also (!!!) a picaresque novel of homeric proportions, a coming-of-age novel, a quest in which the narrator finds his true self, a feat he would never have been able to accomplish without his precious animal. Transformation / metamorphosis is indeed one of the main recurring themes throughout the story. As well as evolution, from one state to another, and creation (another metafictional element, as it sends us back to the act of writing in itself). All said and done: great book, highly recommended. Congratulations to its author, Robert J. Duperre, a really great writer.
See what I mean? Fantastic. I'm always honored when someone can be that analytical about my work. It really is much appreciated.
- RJD
RSS Feed