Wreck and Order: A Novel

Do you ever run across something that makes you feel old? Hannah Tennant-Moore's novel Wreck and Order was one of those things. I was intrigued by the premise before reading it but I spent much of the novel wanting to shake some sense and motivation into the self-destructive, annoying, and thoroughly unlikable main character. Obviously this does not bode well for my eventual overall impression.

Elsie is a thirty-something young woman who drops out of college and thereafter coasts on the money her father gives her. She is intermittently translating an obscure French novel, which is somehow supposed to reinforce her own (misguided) idea that she is intelligent and special. But her navel gazing narration of an unmoored life lived as a show more series of destructive sexual encounters or, when not actively engaged in those encounters, fantasizing about them, makes the reader question any implication of intelligence previously granted. Elsie connects with a lying, cheating, boozy boyfriend who becomes an obsession in her life, the man she returns to again and again. At one point when she has broken free of Jared, she is too bored by her colorless (a synonym for violence-free to Elsie) sex life with the normal man she's met so she sabotages their life together. At another point she travels to Sri Lanka and stays with Suriya, a young woman she intends to help achieve her dream of teaching English. And yet even in this trip, which just highlights over and over again her self-centered preoccupation, ennui, and unpleasantness, Elsie can't maintain an interest in this poor girl and her family, ending up treating Suriya as an embarrassing and disposable project she can just abandon rather than as a human being she should care about.

Perhaps Elsie's character as written would be forgivable if the book had been more interesting all around. Instead, she is a caricature of a vapid, spoiled millennial and who wants to read about that? Self-destructive characters can be worth reading about if they serve a greater purpose. Elsie does not. Character and plot are both aimless. The erstwhile philosophical pieces were tiresome, overblown, and filled with circular ramblings that didn't actually mean anything if you took the time to parse them out. I think the book is meant to come off as profound but sadly, it only came off as profoundly boring. Then again, maybe it will appeal to readers a generation younger than me who can more readily connect with the Elsies of the world. But if this is their reality, I have to say I pity them. show less

Elsie is spoiled and self-absorbed but the portrayal managed to feel honest and I related to her. She engages in sex that is random, degrading, brutal and emotionless all in an attempt to feel. She is maddeningly detached from people and from situations. I think this is what kept me most engaged in reading to the end because I wanted to see what kind of "order" might evolve from the "wreck" that is Elsie.

Sadly, the ending of the book was less than orderly and therefore not entirely satisfying. It felt unresolved and even unfinished. Was that intentional on the part of the author? Does it give the reader hope for a better Elsie to come?

I was completely puzzled by the relationship with Sariya.

I loved the writing and there were hi-liter show more worthy passages throughout the book. show less

What a satisfying anti-"Eat, Pray, Love" novel - this could be titled "Eat, Meditate, Be Completely Confused By A Lot Of Sex". Funded by a grandmother's inheritance, narrator Elsie slip-slides through her mid-twenties via endless travel. In Carpinteria, a small weed-economy-based town in California, she spends her time in bed and in bars with an unstable man whom she knows is a perfect match for her less-than-perfect life. In NYC, Elsie gets engaged to a stable man whom she knows is a horrible match for her less-than-perfect life. In Sri Lanka, she lives as an honored white girl guest with her friend Suriya, whose family sees her as an US employment ticket for their daughter.

Every adventure here is a restless pleasure, a truthful show more journey, an exciting and wild ride. Elsie disappoints and confuses everyone (including herself) except the appreciative reader. show less

Unlike many readers of Wreck and Order I found the narrative of the protagonist, Elsie, which is presented in a first-person stream-of-consciousness style, immediately engaging. From the first page I was absorbed fully in her "story." I understand other readers' frustration with this character's choices and actions (or lack thereof). Hannah Tennant-Moore does not offer readers a compelling plot in this work; however, the main character's insights are often resonant, funny, interesting. The quality and depth of character development, rather than the story told, distinguish this book as a worthwhile read, IMHO. Please be advised I received a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review through the LibraryThing Early Reviewers show more program. Thanks for reading my thoughts; I hope they are helpful. show less

Wreck and Order by Hannah Tennant-Moore grabs the reader in an unrelenting grip of the consequences of choices Elsie makes. Self-destructive and searching for herself, Elsie constantly seeks out relationships that take her down dark paths and allow her to fall apart before abandoning a string of people in her life. Tennant-Moore write Elsie's self-destruction with a rawness that left me aching and identifying with the emotions even when I didn't identify with Elsie's actions. At times, I found Wreck and Order difficult to read because of the bluntness surrounding abuse and sexual trauma yet I couldn't stop. Even through my frustration with Elsie I wanted to convince her that eventually things get better. I saw in her a girl with too show more much and too little at the same time searching for something that would give her life meaning. Wreck and Order explores the addiction to drama that seems prevalent in modern society without apology or excuse. show less

Well, I tried. I have a rule that I need to read to at least page 100 of books I start – and I made it to 100 – and then put “Wreck and Order” down. (Since I didn’t finish it – you may want to stop reading here and move to a reviewer who has.)

The back of my copy advertises Hannah Tennant-Moore’s novel as “A boldly candid, provocative portrait of a young woman’s search for meaning and purpose in an indifferent world.” While I would CERTAINLY agree with the first part of that claim – the second part blames the world for what are the young woman’s problems.

Elsie, the main character, is indifferent to her safety, her own mental health, any responsibilities she may have to the world or even to those she purports to show more care about…she was just an impossible character for me to either like or care about in the lease. When a character cares so little about ANYTHING – it seems a waste of time for a reader to spend any time in her point of view.

The book is bold, it is extremely candid (I was so tired of reading about brutal and indifferent sex that I had to start skimming) and it is certainly provocative.

There were small glimmers of hope that I could find something to latch on to to get me through. “I never used the blank moleskin notebook I’d brought with me, intending to record scenes and conversations for some future self, scavenging for the vaguely imagined article I planned to write or desperate to recall past joys.” There seems no joy at all in Elsie’s life – but almost entirely because of actions she takes that make it impossible for her life to start improving. Her only ambitions seem to involve either living off her father’s money for as long as possible or being involved in relationships where at least one of the partners is treating the other horribly.

When she goes to a silent meditation center, she again seems to be seeking something, some sort of peace – but what comes across more strongly is her desire to not have to do anything – not have to be or interact with anyone in a meaningful way. “…it wasn’t that I felt that place as freedom, like the man in white suggested. But at least it was no longer clamoring for my attention.”

So I am setting “Wreck and Order” aside. I thought for a moment for peeking at the ending. But in true Elsie fashion, I decided I just didn’t care enough. show less

A day after reading it I still literally no positive thoughts about this book (other than that I'm glad I don't have to read it anymore) - cliche after cliche, no plot, RELENTLESS rich white person ennui, dumb characters we're told to see as smart due to pasted-on intelligentsia jobs, faux confessional/memoir writing style but the true protagonists are a few shitty, "ambiguously abusive" boyfriends, as though someone read Eat Pray Love and thought "what if I fused this with the concept of 'HBO's Girls, but worse' and added some rape to it?"

I keep coming up with words like dull, tired, and literally repulsive - as I read I kept wanting to interpret this as a parody novel or piece of deliberate satire about white privilege or something, show more but even with that charitable interpretation it's still a bland, meandering, plotless book.

I left my copy (with a warning note) in a coffee shop for a stranger to take, but I honestly felt guilty about passing such a waste of time on to another person. show less