A review by lucasmiller
This Is Not a Novel by David Markson
5.0
My sister bought my a copy of Wittgenstein's Mistress on a trip to New York. It was a nice gesture. As with most books acquired in this manner, it set on my shelf for awhile. I came across of copy of This is Not a Novel at a used bookstore a few years later and bought it instinctively. Over the course of reading it I began to annotate entries. For quotations, just the source or author, for individuals country of origin, dates, and briefest career description. Long hours were spent reading a few pages, making tick marks where necessary and going back to fill in some information. I've gone through maybe two or two and half times and nothing ever feels finished. I eventually bought a second copy of This is Not a Novel. This was the copy that I read this go around, in two days no less.
Following Reader's Block, the tone of This is Not a Novel feels like crawling out of a ditch. the emphasis of the anecdotes switches from suicide to death disease and accident. While this remains gloomy as hell, it imbues the whole thing with a sense of inevitability and is allowed to be much funnier than Reader's Block. Writer is much more driven than Reader. There might be a few less narrative statements here as well, but the consonance of the entries, even when I didn't know the references is more propulsive and witty than I expected.
Following Reader's Block, the tone of This is Not a Novel feels like crawling out of a ditch. the emphasis of the anecdotes switches from suicide to death disease and accident. While this remains gloomy as hell, it imbues the whole thing with a sense of inevitability and is allowed to be much funnier than Reader's Block. Writer is much more driven than Reader. There might be a few less narrative statements here as well, but the consonance of the entries, even when I didn't know the references is more propulsive and witty than I expected.