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A review by bennought
Europe Central by William T. Vollmann
5.0
An epic masterpiece. Quoting another review is helpful, "A jarring, haunting, absurdly ambitious symphony of a book... It has an emotional force capable of ripping almost any read from his moorings." (Steve Kettman). In many ways, the book does almost feel like it is musical. The prose has a tone, rhythm, and timbre unlike anything else I've ever read. And while it can take a little while to get used to (or even to get into), being patient with it is well-worth your time.
I was exceedingly disappointed with the first two books in Vollmann's Seven Dreams series. [b:The Ice-Shirt|45634|The Ice-Shirt|William T. Vollmann|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170294784s/45634.jpg|905344] was interesting, but incredibly difficult to read and, in the end, I didn't really feel like I ended up getting much out of it. [b:Fathers and Crows|45679|Fathers and Crows (Seven Dreams)|William T. Vollmann|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170294901s/45679.jpg|382631] I couldn't even finish. I got about 30 pages in, and just couldn't take it anymore. Both have a lyricism to them that is akin to that of a classic orally told myth, but in my opinion while he managed to capture many elements of the style and structure of a spoken story (especially a naturally spoken one), he wasn't able to transfer it onto paper well enough so that it was enjoyable. In 'Europe Central,' that style has evolved and has morphed almost into a dream-like state. Logic and structure as we generally think of them in terms of a story or a novel do not apply. Instead, it is the ways in which emotions are attached to, or resonate within, or become associated with, or are evoked by a memory associated with one of the five senses. The impressions one is left with after reading this book are those elusive, tantalizing flashes that occur in the natural translation of events into memories within our own lives--a smell that reminds you of the feeling of the sun on your face that day at the beach; a particular color that is just like that dress your girlfriend from 10 years ago wore to that party; or, in the case of this book, a piece of music (a tone even) that encapsulates and evokes the screaming of an innocent woman as she is beaten to death on the streets by SS troops.
This book is not for the faint of heart. It digs deep into the psyche and experiences of people who were enmeshed (both actively, mistakenly, and grudgingly) within the conflicts and horrors (as well as triumphs) that occurred across Europe Central (the area between Germany and Russia, inclusive) roughly during the lifetime of the composer Dmitry Shostakovitch. And just like the various 'themes' and 'motifs' which run through a symphony (like, say, the Rat Theme in Shostakovitch's Seventh Symphony), many similar 'themes' run throughout Vollmann's book--especially those which are involved in the life, mind, and music of Shostakovitch. His involvement with, love of, and regret over Elena Konstantinovskaya and his experiences living in Soviet Russia (especially during the war) expressed through the music of his composition Opus 110 (String Quartet No. 8 in C Minor) being the most prominent. The brilliant composer's music itself becomes almost a framework around which Vollmann's story (and the prose itself) winds--not necessarily building or structuring itself upon it, more like how water flows around an obstruction.
I will freely admit that I certainly did not understand everything in this book, all of what Vollmann was trying to say or express. This is a book that definitely requires a few readings to really grasp entirely. Unfortunately, that is partly a symptom of the unique prose of the book--just as how the world in many sci-fi and fantasy books take a while for the reader to gather a good picture of, it takes a while for the reader to become immersed in the dream-world (sadly, often nightmare-world) of Vollmann's Europe Central. But, it is worth the initial confusion and frustration. There are moments that will leave you feeling punched in the gut (both emotionally and physically), and others that leave you sympathizing with Nazi's (certainly not something I find myself doing often). What Vollmann has done is to present an interpretation of reality through a distorted lens that comes closer to capturing the reality of emotions, memories, and visceral experience than most anything I have ever read. As they say, it is through our dreams that we process, grapple with, and attempt to understand our waking lives.
I was exceedingly disappointed with the first two books in Vollmann's Seven Dreams series. [b:The Ice-Shirt|45634|The Ice-Shirt|William T. Vollmann|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170294784s/45634.jpg|905344] was interesting, but incredibly difficult to read and, in the end, I didn't really feel like I ended up getting much out of it. [b:Fathers and Crows|45679|Fathers and Crows (Seven Dreams)|William T. Vollmann|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170294901s/45679.jpg|382631] I couldn't even finish. I got about 30 pages in, and just couldn't take it anymore. Both have a lyricism to them that is akin to that of a classic orally told myth, but in my opinion while he managed to capture many elements of the style and structure of a spoken story (especially a naturally spoken one), he wasn't able to transfer it onto paper well enough so that it was enjoyable. In 'Europe Central,' that style has evolved and has morphed almost into a dream-like state. Logic and structure as we generally think of them in terms of a story or a novel do not apply. Instead, it is the ways in which emotions are attached to, or resonate within, or become associated with, or are evoked by a memory associated with one of the five senses. The impressions one is left with after reading this book are those elusive, tantalizing flashes that occur in the natural translation of events into memories within our own lives--a smell that reminds you of the feeling of the sun on your face that day at the beach; a particular color that is just like that dress your girlfriend from 10 years ago wore to that party; or, in the case of this book, a piece of music (a tone even) that encapsulates and evokes the screaming of an innocent woman as she is beaten to death on the streets by SS troops.
This book is not for the faint of heart. It digs deep into the psyche and experiences of people who were enmeshed (both actively, mistakenly, and grudgingly) within the conflicts and horrors (as well as triumphs) that occurred across Europe Central (the area between Germany and Russia, inclusive) roughly during the lifetime of the composer Dmitry Shostakovitch. And just like the various 'themes' and 'motifs' which run through a symphony (like, say, the Rat Theme in Shostakovitch's Seventh Symphony), many similar 'themes' run throughout Vollmann's book--especially those which are involved in the life, mind, and music of Shostakovitch. His involvement with, love of, and regret over Elena Konstantinovskaya and his experiences living in Soviet Russia (especially during the war) expressed through the music of his composition Opus 110 (String Quartet No. 8 in C Minor) being the most prominent. The brilliant composer's music itself becomes almost a framework around which Vollmann's story (and the prose itself) winds--not necessarily building or structuring itself upon it, more like how water flows around an obstruction.
I will freely admit that I certainly did not understand everything in this book, all of what Vollmann was trying to say or express. This is a book that definitely requires a few readings to really grasp entirely. Unfortunately, that is partly a symptom of the unique prose of the book--just as how the world in many sci-fi and fantasy books take a while for the reader to gather a good picture of, it takes a while for the reader to become immersed in the dream-world (sadly, often nightmare-world) of Vollmann's Europe Central. But, it is worth the initial confusion and frustration. There are moments that will leave you feeling punched in the gut (both emotionally and physically), and others that leave you sympathizing with Nazi's (certainly not something I find myself doing often). What Vollmann has done is to present an interpretation of reality through a distorted lens that comes closer to capturing the reality of emotions, memories, and visceral experience than most anything I have ever read. As they say, it is through our dreams that we process, grapple with, and attempt to understand our waking lives.