A review by sam8834
Zapuščanje morja by Ben Marcus
4.0
Over the years, I've become bored with a lot of contemporary fiction, but Ben Marcus has always been an exception. He creates work that's mainstream accessible, but isn't altogether easy to get through. The Flame Alphabet took me longer than normal to read, but not because I didn't like it or because it was difficult - Marcus's writing just demands a slower-paced kind of attention, somehow, and when you reach the end, you feel it was worth it.
Leaving the Sea is, stylistically, a diverse collection (which is another thing one doesn't often see in contemporary story collections), beginning with very straightforward narratives and venturing into more experimental fiction. It's a transition that works, because while you may feel you're frequently reading about the same narrator (middle-aged, down-and-out, male hot mess type), the style and writing changes in each section so you don't feel so disenchanted with the work as a whole.
Certain stories also show Marcus's strength in carrying out his bizarre ideas, that he doesn't just take stylistic chances merely for the sake of experimentation. The title story, just one sentence long over several pages, is breathtaking, both in its narrative arc and execution. The Moors puts an almost post-apocalyptic, epic lens on a man's arduous trek from his cubicle to the office coffee cart. Personally, I enjoy these risk-taking efforts more than the traditional stories that open the book, but this is overall a strong collection from Marcus.
Leaving the Sea is, stylistically, a diverse collection (which is another thing one doesn't often see in contemporary story collections), beginning with very straightforward narratives and venturing into more experimental fiction. It's a transition that works, because while you may feel you're frequently reading about the same narrator (middle-aged, down-and-out, male hot mess type), the style and writing changes in each section so you don't feel so disenchanted with the work as a whole.
Certain stories also show Marcus's strength in carrying out his bizarre ideas, that he doesn't just take stylistic chances merely for the sake of experimentation. The title story, just one sentence long over several pages, is breathtaking, both in its narrative arc and execution. The Moors puts an almost post-apocalyptic, epic lens on a man's arduous trek from his cubicle to the office coffee cart. Personally, I enjoy these risk-taking efforts more than the traditional stories that open the book, but this is overall a strong collection from Marcus.