hollysmith54's review against another edition
2.0
I did not get this. I think it was artsy in a way that was too sophisticated for me to follow or, to be honest, enjoy. I just don’t get what I just read.
lucasgarner's review against another edition
2.0
The concept of this book is fascinating; a man decided to give up his life to live inside of a cardboard box that he wears on his head. It's the kind of absurdism that I love to read. However, it only took a couple of pages to realize that there was a lot more going on here, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but when it's written in Abe's dry writing style and with a plot that jumps around in a very Pynchonesque fashion, it becomes hard to follow, and what whimsy there may be in the novel, it feels flat because of the writing style. I read about 2/3 of the novel before just skimming the rest, and it makes me sad because the whole idea of the book still intrigues me. If you are in the mood for a book that will leave you mostly confused and semi-bored, you may love it, but unfortunately it just wasn't for me.
tom_f's review against another edition
4.0
As far as I can tell this is Abe’s best novel. Instead of anticipating a fall from society (into a hole, into the maze-like bureaucracy of a hospital, into the cognitive dissociation of a cursed procedural investigation), this narrative starts you from the outside looking in. This allows you to luxuriate in Abe’s evocative sensory descriptions and the neurotic, endlessly self-justifying worldview of his protagonist without hanging on the illusion of narrative progress. Nevertheless, there is progression here, but it’s of a kind of poetic variety, where ideas and emotions and thought-processes are approached with sketchy inaccuracy, parenthetical digressions, dreamlike illustrations and analogies. It’s an immersive and very unsettling experience, though also one that justifies its narrator’s assertions of the beauty and limitless stimulation of seeing the world from the ground through a makeshift peephole in a vinyl sheet, a viewpoint from which foreground and background, backdrop and detail become meaningless distinctions. The paratextual inclusions here — photographic negatives, illustrations — as well as the patchwork structure of the text create an eerie, disoriented weightlessness that plays into the unreliability of the narrator’s voice(s) (in one section the text lapses into the second person, to gothic and claustrophobic effect). A disquieting reflection on social isolation and impotence, on the power balances of observation and intolerance of otherness.
maddy_chan's review against another edition
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
toyota786's review against another edition
3.0
Interesting and whack.
I think I'd read it again to try and fully understand what the fuck actually happened, but after reading some analysis online I was surprised how much I actually picked up.
I think I'd read it again to try and fully understand what the fuck actually happened, but after reading some analysis online I was surprised how much I actually picked up.
hadiii's review against another edition
Had too much explicit sexual imagery and language, concept of the box man was cool tho
smay's review against another edition
4.0
Very different from Women in the Dunes, but fascinating with loads to discuss. Would make a good book club book!
parkergarlough's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
funeraryarts's review against another edition
5.0
This is a weird book both in subject matter and in construction. Structurally it is postmodern and experimental working with a large variety of styles and making use of dream narratives, hallucinations, surreality, non-linearity, unreliable narrators, all kinds of POV (1st, 2nd, 3rd), pictures spread through the book and even elements of metatextuality and what could be thought of as 4th wall breaking. It's Abe showing of his writing skills and it looks like an acid trip where the fabric of reality is subject to change from chapter to chapter and even from one paragraph to the next.
Abe's writing was as weird as it was schockingly beautiful at times. The Box Man concerns itself with themes of isolation, identity, being an outcast, the complexities of perception (the delight of seeing/the shame at being seen), voyeurism, desire, the mutual influence between mind/body and their effect on reality, storytelling in a great meta way, love, endings, inner change effected by struggle, etc.
His somatic descriptions are haunting and grotesque but perfect at explaining the real sensations we experience bodily and mentally. His writing never failing to connect abstract and lofty emotions with pin point accuracy to corporeal sensations. He shows that our bodies connect with the truth of our minds and hearts in the flaming of our senses and that in language the physical can give an eloquent voice to authentic internal experience:
"My whole body began to wither away, leaving only my eyes".
"The pores of my whole body opened their mouths at the same time, and tongues dangled limply from them"
"Compared to the You in my heart, the I in yours is insignificant."
"Marvelous forests of words and seas of desire... time stops just by touching your skin lightly with my fingers, and eternity draws near. "
The Box Man is the work of a master of disorientation, unease and insight; a sharer in the spirit and power of Kafka, Hedayat and Donoso intent on entertaining his readers by the weirdness and dynamism of the book itself. Trying to tie neatly some plot points in a coherent narrative misses the forest for the trees in the appreciation of such a creative work.
Abe's writing was as weird as it was schockingly beautiful at times. The Box Man concerns itself with themes of isolation, identity, being an outcast, the complexities of perception (the delight of seeing/the shame at being seen), voyeurism, desire, the mutual influence between mind/body and their effect on reality, storytelling in a great meta way, love, endings, inner change effected by struggle, etc.
His somatic descriptions are haunting and grotesque but perfect at explaining the real sensations we experience bodily and mentally. His writing never failing to connect abstract and lofty emotions with pin point accuracy to corporeal sensations. He shows that our bodies connect with the truth of our minds and hearts in the flaming of our senses and that in language the physical can give an eloquent voice to authentic internal experience:
"My whole body began to wither away, leaving only my eyes".
"The pores of my whole body opened their mouths at the same time, and tongues dangled limply from them"
"Compared to the You in my heart, the I in yours is insignificant."
"Marvelous forests of words and seas of desire... time stops just by touching your skin lightly with my fingers, and eternity draws near. "
The Box Man is the work of a master of disorientation, unease and insight; a sharer in the spirit and power of Kafka, Hedayat and Donoso intent on entertaining his readers by the weirdness and dynamism of the book itself. Trying to tie neatly some plot points in a coherent narrative misses the forest for the trees in the appreciation of such a creative work.
strwbrry_jamm's review against another edition
Really weird. I need to read it again I think to fully get the story. I loved the first 10 pages. The next 80 or so lost me. It had a lot of creepy male gaze stuff. It just didn’t sit right with me. The last 3rd was more in line with what I was expecting.