ewee (01/26): Black Swan Green by David Mitchell

Erm. So I'm beginning this year's challenge with a suggestion from last year. (Getting exposed to books I might never otherwise come across = BRILLIANT. Thanks y'all!)

Ok. So the book. Overall, a good read. As usual, there's much much better reviews out there (nyt, the new yorker, and the times [uk]). It's a lovely and tragic snippet of one young man's life and coming of age. Throw into that mix: snatches of the 80's (music references that I get!) and the sheer grinding weight of being 13 years old.

But there was one astonishing tidbit that sent me over the edge (in a good way). When the stammering pobrecita encounters Eva van Crommelynck, it seems to be a surreal bit of randomness. How does an eccentric old woman fit into this novel? For me, it *was* the novel. Not sure what it was, but it was good enough to be transcendent. I'd go so far as to say, skip the rest of the book, if you have to, but get that bit in. (Forgive any mis-wordings below, I'm deciphering the notes on my bookmark.)

"The poem is a raid on the inarticulate" -T.S. Elliot

"...the Master knows his words are just the vehicle in which Beauty sits... Your potter has made the vase, yes, but has not made the beauty. Only an object where beauty resides." [i.e. Beauty is not the words/art themselves]

"But if the right words existed, the music wouldn't need to."

"If art is true, if art is free of falseness, it is, a priori, beautiful."

And, reading all the bits out there, I was thrilled to hear that another book by the same author, Cloud Atlas, contains references to Eva van Crommelynck. So when I'm willing to test my luck (could she possibly be as inspiring again? it would be like lightning striking twice...) perhaps I'll add it to my request list at the library.