http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Under_the_volcano

Under The Volcano is a book by a guy called Malcolm Lowry about this alcoholic 'consul' (the best estimation of his job that I can figure is some kind of an ambassador) who is living alone in Mexico, drinking himself into blunt insanity, waiting to die. Apparently, it's semi-autobiographical, which every book like this is. Malky was an Alky. Malky was an Alky!

Anyway, who here has read this? It's supposed to be a big fat classic of the 20th century. So far (i have read about 130 pages - i read in very short spurts because i have been out of the habit for a while), it IS interesting, at least. The Consul himself is interesting right now, anyway. So is his wife, Yvonne. His brother is a dull englishman type, best I can tell, full of shit most of the time. These are the three main characters, and they are interesting enough. I don't know that I particularly sympathize with any of them at this point beyond what I would with any blank slate human character - I haven't read enough to know if I am supposed to.

The language is flowery, maybe overdone but honestly I don't care either way. He does do that double negative thing that George Orwell pointed out in that one essay - you know, "The vase was not unentirely shaped like a pear", "The paths intermingled in a fashion not completely unlike spaghetti", etc (these are not in the book) - which I have always been really aware of since I read that because on the one hand Orwell seems RIGHT. Needlessly complex language gets us nowhere, doesn't convey information as well, can confuse and alienate people. Makes a book hard to penetrate - a reputation Under The Volcano has (although it isn't that hard, it's just got a weirdly irrelevant first chapter). On the other hand, what the heck do I care if a guy wants to dress his story up and make it look nice? I'm not in this for facts, I'm in this for feelings. Maybe the detailed, emotional descriptions of things are a big part of what he liked to write about, maybe the apparently effective evocation of Mexico is something to admire - I've got no idea.

130 pages in I can't really tell where the book is going - it has been very all over the place so far despite there being very little plotting of any sort. It's all memories and nostalgia, fantasizing, middle class musing about nothing and walking around the Mexico country so far. The characters rarely talk about what they are actually talking about, and alot of that symbolism goes over my head. I don't look for it, I think, maybe I should.

So who's read this and what did you think. You can spoil it for me, I don't care.

Water kills the alians.

Well, I don't know. It depends on the kind of book probably, but I can't remember the last time I read a book where anything that would spoil the book for you if you knew about it actually happens. Things just progress, and it doesn't matter what happens so much as how and how it is told.

Also, I tend to read books that are more about exploring some kind of theme so knowing what happens doesn't make the things leading up to it less interesting - they aren't necessarily related by plot, and even if they are knowing the ending isn't knowing what actually happens.

Yeah, I just don't really care.