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blepharospasm
Not since A Clockwork Orange has a novel been so creatively written and designed. Written as though the reader has discovered loosely discarded pages of a manuscript on a coffee table edited in what seems to be a chaotic attempt of thought, and concentration of a mind soaked in acid. The primary character in this epic novel journeys us on his drug induced highways of fractured love, racing thoughts tearing through anxiety, and feverish episodes of delirium. Surrounded by murder, kink, the multiple realities of drug induced Philip K. Dick like levels of 'what is and is not real, or what seems to be unreality', comes to life in the multitude of colors of burning mind within the pages of Mackoushian's masterpiece. Not a hack writer nor a declared over compensator of literary ego but a writer of progression towards the layers of discovery of truth from the relative points of view that a drug addicted character inhales. Mackoushian has done more than leave a subtle footprint in the literary community he has created a landmark imprint on it.
306 pages, Paperback
First published April 15, 2011
80 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
August 13, 2016
This was a series of abstract color themed scenes, or snapshots, featuring a mysterious entity in the throngs of a mental health or drug addiction crisis.
What the f*ck did I just read?
This was a cold read for me that came about because of losing a challenge bet. I had no information about this book except for the listed synopsis. It sounded vaguely intriguing so my interest was peaked.
Seriously, I can't even begin to summarize my thoughts about this book because quite frankly I have no idea what I just read. Very abrupt rambling fragmented short passages using a rainbow of color headings read like individual poems of reality and fantasy that feature an unknown person's POV who is deeply psychotic for whatever reason, be it drugs or mental health. Sometimes emotional, sometimes dark, often times just plain bizarre, I found it very hard to finish but hoped that by the end I would come to understand.
The rainbow of color headings for each individual scene just didn't make sense to the actual passage content. I personally feel if a dark color is listed it usually reflects negative emotions or thoughts while the use of bright colors indicate positive emotions OR deception to hide the dark lurking underneath. So. The many many totally random colors not following that perception made it very very very difficult to understand the author's intent.
About midway into the book I FINALLY felt I was getting the feel of things and the possible goal of this book (more about that later). Each individual scene was a piece of a massive puzzle that would make sense only when all the pieces were put together. It wouldn't be until the entire puzzle was revealed that I would understand and make sense of it all. I leave this thought and opinion for anyone who chooses to read this book to feel if this was an accurate thought.
My issues? I'll only hit on the high point issues I had. This book isn't broken into chapters, just color coded headings. I am one who will go back to re-read areas of a book at times so by not having a solid way to navigate this book I was left to cold search. I gave up on that early on for that reason. The color heading do transition into additional headings which is when I actually started to think I was finally in control and could enjoy the remainder of the book. The problem is that these terms aren't mainstream so unless you have a medical background to understand the terms you would have to google some of them for the definition. Not knowing that definition sort of defeats the purpose imho. The biggest issue though was that the individual passages were too vague, had many editorial errors, and fragmented.
Lastly. In my opinion, any book written should have some sort of purpose. Whether it's a mental vacation for the reader, a fairy tale journey, education, laughter/humor, gain knowledge, or even scare the sh*t out of the reader; there is some end goal. I am having a hard time coming up with what this book offers to potential readers. The only person I personally would recommend this book to would be to someone who would want to have a snapshot glimpse into the mind of someone who is actively psychotic and under the influence. And that's it.
What the f*ck did I just read?
This was a cold read for me that came about because of losing a challenge bet. I had no information about this book except for the listed synopsis. It sounded vaguely intriguing so my interest was peaked.
Seriously, I can't even begin to summarize my thoughts about this book because quite frankly I have no idea what I just read. Very abrupt rambling fragmented short passages using a rainbow of color headings read like individual poems of reality and fantasy that feature an unknown person's POV who is deeply psychotic for whatever reason, be it drugs or mental health. Sometimes emotional, sometimes dark, often times just plain bizarre, I found it very hard to finish but hoped that by the end I would come to understand.
The rainbow of color headings for each individual scene just didn't make sense to the actual passage content. I personally feel if a dark color is listed it usually reflects negative emotions or thoughts while the use of bright colors indicate positive emotions OR deception to hide the dark lurking underneath. So. The many many totally random colors not following that perception made it very very very difficult to understand the author's intent.
About midway into the book I FINALLY felt I was getting the feel of things and the possible goal of this book (more about that later). Each individual scene was a piece of a massive puzzle that would make sense only when all the pieces were put together. It wouldn't be until the entire puzzle was revealed that I would understand and make sense of it all. I leave this thought and opinion for anyone who chooses to read this book to feel if this was an accurate thought.
My issues? I'll only hit on the high point issues I had. This book isn't broken into chapters, just color coded headings. I am one who will go back to re-read areas of a book at times so by not having a solid way to navigate this book I was left to cold search. I gave up on that early on for that reason. The color heading do transition into additional headings which is when I actually started to think I was finally in control and could enjoy the remainder of the book. The problem is that these terms aren't mainstream so unless you have a medical background to understand the terms you would have to google some of them for the definition. Not knowing that definition sort of defeats the purpose imho. The biggest issue though was that the individual passages were too vague, had many editorial errors, and fragmented.
Lastly. In my opinion, any book written should have some sort of purpose. Whether it's a mental vacation for the reader, a fairy tale journey, education, laughter/humor, gain knowledge, or even scare the sh*t out of the reader; there is some end goal. I am having a hard time coming up with what this book offers to potential readers. The only person I personally would recommend this book to would be to someone who would want to have a snapshot glimpse into the mind of someone who is actively psychotic and under the influence. And that's it.
April 7, 2016
The melancholy ravings of a mind on acid and/or in a psych ward. Sound and fury, signifying nothing.
Most acid-washed genealogies were written in the 60s and 70s. Over-romanticized tripe and treacle. Sorry we didn't visit more often, Mr. Leary. Sorry we didn't take your word for it, Mr. Kesey. But now it's the bad-ass authors of the new millenium's turn.
It probably seemed like a good idea at the time.
1 star out of 5.
Most acid-washed genealogies were written in the 60s and 70s. Over-romanticized tripe and treacle. Sorry we didn't visit more often, Mr. Leary. Sorry we didn't take your word for it, Mr. Kesey. But now it's the bad-ass authors of the new millenium's turn.
It probably seemed like a good idea at the time.
1 star out of 5.
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