“The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay” by Michael Chabon
I first read Michael Chabon’s Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay in the sleep-deprived, surreal days following the birth of my son Drake, now almost 6yo. He was hungry around the clock, so I nursed him lying down so I could read at the same time. I even got a book light so I could read during the night feedings. I remembered the book itself only vaguely, yet the physical act of reading it–nursing, switching sides, wrestling with the book light and an unwieldy hardcover–is still very clear.
I was surprised, then, on this re-reading, to find this book not only extremely well-written and crafted, but also so enjoyable. How could I not remember how flat-out GOOD this book was? Well, I remember it about as well as I remember Drake’s earliest infancy. THAT I don’t need or want to go through again, but this book was a delight to rediscover.
The book details the friendship and collaboration between Josef Kavalier, a WWII Jewish refugee from Prague, and Sam Clay (ne Klayman). The cousins are in their late teens, and break into the burgeoning business of comics by creating a character called The Escapist.
The long run of Kavalier & Clay–and the true history of the Escapist’s birth–began in 1939, toward the end of October, on the night that Sammy’s mother burst into his bedroom, applied the ring and iron knuckles of her left hand to the side of his cranium, and told him to move over and make room in his bed for his cousin from Prague.
The book is a wild mixture of history, fabrication, Jewish lore, metaphor, comic books, romance, and adventure, all told through a fascinating panoply of complex, engaging characters. I’m a comic book geek, so the lengthy sections on comics history were interesting to me. The book likely would be a tougher read for someone with no interest or experience with comics. Even so, there’s so much going on in this book, I’d be very surprised if a reader didn’t find something to like, even love, in this sprawling epic.
June 13th, 2009 at 10:30 am
I have this one sitting in my TBR stack… I have heard such good things about it, but I admit the length intimidates me. Also, I read my first Chabon this year, the novella “The Final Solution”, which I found really underwhelming and blah. So now I’m doubly nervous!
June 13th, 2009 at 11:05 am
I liked Final Solution, but it isn’t one of his best. K & C is long, but worth it. Better places to start would be Wonder Boys or Yiddish Policeman’s Union, which several people in my book group have read and enjoyed.
June 13th, 2009 at 11:00 pm
I did think that I probably chose a weaker Chabon work to test him out, which is why I’m all for giving K&C a shot. Since I already own it, I’m sure it will be the next one of his I read. I am sure I’ll like it a good deal more than The Final Solution… here’s hoping!