Arcadia

A book that I liked a lot. It wasn't an easy read (whether that was because I hadn't read German for a long time or the style of writing, I don't know).
A book that was unlike any I read before, at least as far as I can remember. It contained an interesting story, that was well told.

This work of fiction by the contemporary English Author, Jim Crace is definitely different. It is set in an unnamed place and is told by an unnamed journalist who tells the story of an aging millionaire’s quest to build a commercial center that will embrace the pastoral idyll. The beginning introduces us to Victor the millionaire and his able assistant Rook. The middle section is the story of Victor’s youth and the last part is the actual story of Victor’s vision and the building of the commercial center known as Arcadia. Arcadia means pastoral. Victor has a distorted vision of the country. He only knows the stories his mother told him as she forced him to nurse as a means to beg. Victor to wants to destroy the greengrocers show more outdoor market and create a modern structure that will emulate the country. This book is set in modern times but reading parts felt so old fashion. It is too abstract. With words and pictures created by words, the story felt like it was set in a simpler time but no, it is not, it is set in at least the late eighties. You really feel a little adrift without an anchor when you read this book.

Here are some quotes from the book;
"As he had scaled and silvered with old age so his taste for fish had grown."
“Migrated from the world of plants and seasons to the urban universe of make-and-take-and-sell.”
“Revenge is next to lust.”
“My allegiance is to what you want. The tallest building throw the longest shadows. Thus great men make their mark.”
And remember this book was published in 1992, “It can survive the full impact of an intercontinental airliner.” ….” wow, I really had to pause when I read that line.

This is not Crace’s best work but I suspect it was chosen for 1001 for its peculiarities. The characters are not people you feel attached to, in fact they are all pretty wanting.
Victor is socially inept man who lived on mother’s milk till he was six. Rook is a crook, aptly named after the bird. Some have said that the characters really are the communities. This could be any town, any place. It just feels so ambiguous. Arcadia is defined as poetic fantasy, represents pastoral paradise. Home of Pan. Crace's theme, according to Publisher’s Weekly, is the way cities corrupt men. And this by Library Journal; “More an extended prose poem than a novel, Arcadia reworks traditional pastoral imagery to subvert the dichotomy of town and country. Although countless passages of lush description beg to be read aloud, the overall effect of Crace's aggressive lyricism is somewhat numbing.” show less

I couldn't put this down; very well written novel with a countryside vs city theme running through it.
In the city the countryside is symbolised by the market, with the produce on sale from the countryside around the city. Gardens also feature in the novel. People leave the countryside to go to the city, never the other way round.

Brill - almost (but not quite) as good as Harvest, which is the reason I picked this up. The fruit market is the real star of the show here.