Book: The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon
Krishna
This made Michael Chabon famous and won a Pulitzer Prize to boot. I have already commented on how not every book that wins a Nobel or a Pulitzer is an interesting book – Booker Prize seems to be an exception.
However, this is an interesting book and the story is big, vast, and unusual. The cover put me off, because it looked like a 1960 two-penny novel. But luckily, I decided to read on anyway and was rewarded. (The cover is that way due to the comic book era being described in a part of this book, I think)
It follows the life of Joe Kavalier, who is in Austria under the Nazi threat. His father, an escape artist, dies an accidental death. Joe himself is a disciple of the great Kornblum, who is an admirer of the Houdini. Joe learns escaping from boxes of increasing complexity and learns many other magic tricks too. But as a young boy, he plans his escape in the same box as a Golem, which is being rescued and smuggled out of Austria before the Nazis can destroy it. (Golem is a mythical Jewish statue that has amazing powers). His trip tragically fails and rather than return home in shame, he stays with his teacher and attempts another- this time successful – escape.
When he reaches New York, he stays with his cousin Sam Clay (Clayman), and the rest of the book follows their life story. The book reads like several books stitched together, with the stories of Joe’s childhood under Nazi suppression, his teaming up with Sam to launch a new comic book series with a superhero called Escapist, who battles evil villains, mostly of Nazi affiliations. In this part of the story is Joe’s unforgettable hatred towards Nazi philosophy which makes him go and vandalize a Neo Nazi building, causing a retaliatory bomb threat in Joe’s offices.
Also entering the picture is Rosa Banks, his love, and the sudden disappearance of Joe (due to the death of his brother while trying to escape Nazi Germany in a boat) without realizing that Rosa is pregnant by this time, the discovery of Sam that he is gay and is attracted to a matinee idol (The name escapes me at the moment).
The story after Joe leaves, his joining the air force and his solitary posting in the Arctic reads like an entirely different novel.
The last part of the novel concerns Joe’s return to New York to find and recognize his son and witness the quiet lives of Rosa and Sam. He decides not to intrude and leads a disguised existence in the same city but he cannot resist speaking to Tommy, his son, which leads to more exposure than he wanted.
The story is well written, the prose flows neatly and keeps the interest. The interesting immersion into many worlds works well – you learn about Houdini and his afficianados, you are immersed in the 1940s and 50s comic book scenes in what must be termed the Golden Age of Comic Books and also their subsequent decline and attempts at revival by many comic book houses.
You enter the Jewish society in New York and learn of their lifestyles – not deeply, though.
A well written book – does not set your pulse racing or keep you on the edge of your seat, but you get a sense of satisfaction of having read a good book.
The ending was a bit too abrupt for me – understandable, but abrupt
all the same.
I would give it a 7/10
— Krishna