The Actual—#1

The Actual—#1

We all had a little confusion in class about the shower scene. I went back to check it over: Harry, Jay and Amy where all in the shower. Amy and Jay were not married at the time. FYI.

I love this book. This is the first Bellow book i've read. I plan to read many more. A story that starts anywhere and then kinda ends where ever it needs to always pulls me in.

As i stated in class, Bellow did a wonderful job revealing enough information to keep me interested, but leaving out just enough to keep me involved. He had me trying to piece things together in an enjoyable way.

Bellow offers little assistance to the reader when dialog is involved. It is challenging to know who is speaking at a given moment.
Shifts in time take place with little to no warning. Both of these techniques work because Bellow KNOWS he did this and he drops clues in the following text to help you keep your place. It is refreshing to have this tension and resolutions in some areas, and unresolved mystery and ambiguity in others. So, I don't know everything, but i know enough to want to know more. As i continued to try and piece together one thing, other fragments are introduced. Its like a fugue.

The repetition of facts and events did strengthen the back stories of each character so they STUCK in my memory. Often, you would re-experience the same scene retold from a different perspective and this would validate, reinforce and broaden your experience of the scene and the characters involved.