Comments on: The Slap, by Christos Tsiolkas

By: whisperinggums

whisperinggums — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 23:33:50 +0000

To be honest, this is my first of his. My response to you was really to say that he has quite a body of work already that has been well reviewed. Dead Europe is probably the one I’d read next of his. Loaded was made into a film, Head on. He is apparently a rather gentle man, but his books tend not to be about gentle people!

By: KevinfromCanada

KevinfromCanada — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 16:56:59 +0000

This is my first Tsiolkas so I have no useful advice (although I too find Dead Europe to be a promising title). If you have the time, Max, I think you would find The Slap a good fit with your tastes. We are both impressed with the way that Selvon conveys an immigrant community in London — one of the themes of this book is a look at how immigrants play out in a much younger, more fluid society (and Australia is not unlike Canada in those conditions). I know you are also reading Proust and think you might find this an appropriate “interlude” book. Just as Proust explores a community in turn of the century Paris, Tsiolkas looks at a community of people in Melbourne, half the globe away and a century later. I did not dislike the end, incidentally, I just felt it read flatter than the rest of the book — and that could well be more a reflection of my expectations than a criticism of the book.

By: Max Cairnduff

Max Cairnduff — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 15:28:01 +0000

Are there any of his past novels you would particularly recommend? I’ll check out Dead Europe, I like the title for a start.

By: whisperinggums

whisperinggums — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 13:55:05 +0000

Or, look at what he’s done before this as this is his fourth or so novel. His novel Dead Europe was very well reviewed (though must admit I haven’t read it).

By: Max Cairnduff

Max Cairnduff — Wed, 14 Apr 2010 12:11:05 +0000

Hm, half way through this review I was expecting to be adding this to my TBR pile, the idea of a slap echoing through people’s lives that way was an interesting one and the quotes weren’t bad at all.

But it sounds like it eventually tries too much, takes too broad a scope, gets a bit lost. I’ll wait and see what he does next.

By: KevinfromCanada

KevinfromCanada — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 00:06:05 +0000

Welcome, Anne-Nicole: I agree that the best part of this book is the way that the author introduces us to people who might live next door (even though for you and I they are a world away, literally). Like you, I had some favorites that I wanted him to return to — some he did, some not.

By: Anne-Nicole

Anne-Nicole — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 20:48:38 +0000

I finished reading The Slap a few weeks ago, and really enjoyed it. One reason why I found myself reading it so quickly was my hoping that Tsiolkas would return to certain character’s point of views. I didn’t want to skip ahead in the book to see if he would return to them, so I just pushed through and hoped I would again experience things through Aisha or Harry’s eyes. Although they weren’t the most likable characters, I found them the most interesting. I think I agree with most comments above that this is where the real strength of the book lies-the characters.

By: KevinfromCanada

KevinfromCanada — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 03:43:05 +0000

I didn’t think you were implying I was reacting emotionally. If anything, it was the opposite — I got the impression the author was tidying things up. Which was too bad, because until then he had done a pretty good job of creating a diverse cast of characters.

By: whisperinggums

whisperinggums — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 03:23:32 +0000

Oh dear … I didn’t mean here that your reaction is emotional! I was blabbing on about my style and suddenly realised it might be taken the wrong way!

By: whisperinggums

whisperinggums — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 03:15:59 +0000

Yes, I can understand that – the bit about Aisha on the conference? And then Connie etc? I wouldn’t rave as some do but my reading practice tends to be to look for what I think the author is trying to do and try to understand that. As a result I often end up sounding like I like a book more than I may have at the start. That’s certainly how The little stranger has worked out for me! I tend not to react emotionally – even when books make me feel emotion, if that makes sense.