Collisions
Saturday, November 8, 2008
I have been at work on a book off and on for two years, as I have previously posted. It's an historical novel, deeply researched, and three voices carry the plot.
Here is the lesson of a multiply voiced novel: Collisions are essential, and they should not look like coincidence. The collisions (between characters, within moments, across voices) must carry meaning. They must signify.
I work on the signifiers now. It is slow but fascinating going. I look to the masters to see how it is done—Louise Erdrich, William Faulkner, and now Jayne Anne Phillips in her new novel, Lark & Termite, which got her a starred PW review, for starters, but more than that, it has Tim O'Brien saying:
What a beautiful, beautiful novel this is—so rich and intricate in its drama, so elegantly written, so tender, so convincing, so penetrating, so incredibly moving. I can declare without hesitation or qualification that Lark and Termite is by far the best new novel I've read in the last five years or so.
I'd love to know of other masters of collision, of when you think multiply voiced novels work.
10 comments:
I'm sure yours will be one!
You make such a great point about what is essential in this type of undertaking.
Happy Saturday.
The Waves, perhaps . . .
I think Jennifer Egan did a great job on linking, colliding her characters in Look At Me. It is the only book I have read recently that I could think of being written in multiple voices.
Can't wait to hear more about your book. :)
I finally looked on Amazon for Lark & Termite and realized the book isn't out until January! But, for some reason, my library system has one copy. Three people already have the book on hold! Now I can't wait to get the book.
You're right about the collisions being necessary in a multiple voiced novel. Good luck!
This is a really great post. I wrote earlier this fall about a novel that several people enjoyed but that bothered me because a few scenes where characters crossed paths was too coincidental. It wasn't multi-voiced but the scenes involved important characters. I got a lot of comments that coincidence in novels is to be expected and even allowed! I think the true masters (and yes, you are a master) understand that collisions should not look like coincidence.
(I'm wracking my brain for a multi-voiced novel that I read lately and feel as if a god one if hovering right out of reach. If I can think of it, I'll let you know)
Thank you, for your suggestions. Thank you, all. I am not at all sure that I am up to the task I seem to have given myself, but I work toward resolution.
Miss Em, I remember vividly that post. I remember siding with you.
What about these:
The History of Love by Nicole Krauss
Dancer by Colum McCann
The Hours by Michael Cunningham
Grete — what wonderful suggestions. They all sit here; I love them all. The Hours would come closest to what I am doing, for my story is told by three who are brought together by one force but who don't, for example, live within the same house, who have their very distinct, singular stories to tell. Dancer is an unusual book, somewhat like Zoli, and I think of it as more of a collage than, perhaps, The Hours. History of Love is a good suggestion. I struggled with some aspects of that book (Krauss's thematic similarities to her husband's work, for example)but thought the language beautiful. It's a book I'm going to go snatch off the shelf right now.
Thank you all for thinking out loud with me about this!
Oh, Faulkner. He's been in my head ever since The Sound and the Fury.
I think Justine Larbalestier did quite a smart job with the multiple voices in her Magic or Madness trilogy.
P.S. Make Lemonade - I didn't expect to like it, just because I'm not usually drawn to books with that sort of subject matter. But I did. I especially liked how quietly it built to those "grace note" passages.
And I read it after a unit in sociology on urban inequality and poverty in the U.S., while riding the El through Chicago. I passed buildings where I could picture LaVaughn living or Jolly working. It was perfect!
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