Gut Symmetries

Gut Symmetries: This book changed my view on what great literature can be. Previously I thought plot drove the reader to keep going - reading this I was driven forward by the beauty of the words that Winterson uses, sometimes not understanding, or paying attention to the action, often reading several times to revel in the flavours of her prose. I looked with regret at the dwindling number of pages as I approached the end, wanting to stay longer in the drunken, passionate language of this wonderful book.

"Gut Symmetries" is about love. And physics. And geometry. And the infinite and the finite, and matter and what matters, and particles and monstrosities and life and time and death and the grinning skull in the mirror. It explores a relationship that swallows its own past, the ouroboros of human interaction. It is prods and pokes at the most sensitive underbelly, clinical yet caressing. Winterson seems to wield her pen with remarkable grace in this novel, and despite a few wrong turns she manages to weave together a story out of star dust. I would highly recommend it to anyone who is already familiar with Winterson's works.

I found the book difficult. The physics in it was conceptually challenging, and the characters were fairly static. What made the book stand out is the quality of Winterson's writing - series of paragraphs that would stop me in my tracks, forcing me to reread them, and then often again. Would I read it again? Maybe. Would I read more of Winterson? Without a doubt.

what she does with language is so beautiful. i had a little trouble with this one, though, in keeping track of what was going on and who was who and which character was the focus of each chapter. the last 20% or so, though, the story really surprised me, both in positive and negative ways. but the language was always superb.

"Walk with me. The past lies in wait. It is not behind. It seems to be in front. How else could it trip me as I start to run?"

Sometimes the language is so beautiful - I keep some of the sentences like treasures! Winterson sticks to her unique style, and I enjoy it.

Read: February 2018
Rating: 2/5 stars

It's so difficult to rate this book because the writing was beautiful and lyrical and evocative, but at the same the plot was so thin as to be non-existent. I was never really gripped by the story and even though I enjoyed it I was never in a rush to get back to it and see what happened next.

I didn't get far with this book.
We found it in the small English-language section of a Korean second hand bookshop, and gave it a go. The writing is fine, but the content didn't grab me. I'm sure there will be other readers who would be happy to go along for the ride.