Mark Reece's Blog - Posts Tagged "magical-realism"

The Last White Man by Mohsin Hamid

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


The last white man tells the story of a town, and possibly a wider society, where the skin colour of the white people darkens at intervals. At first, there are outbreaks of violence and conspiracy theories, before most people accept what has happened. Although the events are far reaching, the narrative is heavily focused on the protagonist Anders, who lives a difficult life working in a gym, and his partner, Oona.

The book reminds me of similar 'transformation' stories such as Jose Saramago's 'blindness', and Naomi Alderman's 'the power'. Although 'the last white man' isn't as good as those works, and the book feels too short, giving itself too little time to fully explore the theme, the prose has a great lyrical quality that made it enjoyable to read.

At the start of the book the relationship between Anders and Oona seems to be in trouble, drifting as a result of a distance between them, and, perhaps, a lack of effort. Anders is one of the first people to transform, which has a curious effect of providing new life into their relationship. Perhaps caused by Anders giving more time to introspection, or because the adverse reaction he receives makes him more sympathetic, Anders and Oona communicate more effectively, and the renewal of their relationship forms the heart of the book.

The two characters' relationships with their parents serve as a proxy to wider events. Anders' father is an emotional restricted man, living alone and often in pain as a result of a progressively advancing illness. Although disturbed by what has happened to his son, he stoically protects him from a mob, allowing him to live at his home, despite his discomfort caused by his son seeing his physical decline. There seems to be a contrast drawn between the widening of Anders' perspective, and the conservatism of his father.

Similarly, Oona's mother becomes drawn to conspiracy theories that the change is caused by a plot to destroy white people. The blossoming of Oona's relationship is contrasted with her mother becoming isolated and paranoid. Both literary analogies work well, and the characters are rich and well drawn.

There is a curious feel to the novel, the lyrical qualities of the prose making the focus seem parochial; one of the only outward responses Anders makes to the political aspects of the crisis is when he talks to a cleaner at his gym, who mentions that he would like higher wages. I think that the scope of the novel could have been widened without detracting from its focus, but in any case, this was an enjoyable and interesting book.



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All the Names by José Saramago

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


A wonderful book by an outstanding author, All the Names tells the story of Senhor Jose, who works as a clerk in the Central Registry of Births, Marriages and Deaths. Jose's job is mundane, largely involving the transfer of files by hand, and he works long, unremitting hours before retiring to a hovel connected to the registry. Other than his job, his main occupation is collecting newspaper cutting of celebrities, before one day, he comes across a record card of an 'unknown woman'. He quickly becomes obsessed with her and tries to reconstruct her life through official records, which brings him into conflict with the registry's strict rules.

The book has a highly reflective tone, with little action, which might be a problem with a lesser author, although Saramago has the ability to imbibe the most mundane sequences with great significance. A number of themes are evident throughout the book.

Firstly, All the Names is an exploration of bureaucracy. There are some hilarious satirical moments- queries go through a strict hierarchy in which clerks relay information to senior clerks, who speak to deputy registrars, who speaks to the registrar, before the answer is returned in reverse order. However, the book also gives a strong sense of how meaning is created through record keeping and institutional processes. At one point, the registrar gives a speech in which he talks about merging the files of the living and the dead, which, he claims, will change how the nation will subsequently view the people the records relate to. On an individual level, the unknown woman becomes real to Jose through how she is displayed in her files.

Secondly, many philosophical passages in the novel discuss determinism. Several characters discuss choices with Jose, including his pursuit of the unknown woman. Jose is often unable to give a convincing reason for his actions and at several points suggests that no such reason is possible. This often infuriates his interlocutors, although he persists in his reasoning, suggesting that '[we do not make decisions, decisions make us]'. This situates Jose within the institutional power of the registry.

Finally, questions of power and authority are typically present in Saramago's work and are also evident here. The registrar has little work, instead spending his time monitoring his employees. Although Jose is institutionally powerless, his musings over the unknown woman and the nature of the records indicates that his powers are being suppressed by the hierarchical nature of the registry. It is the interplay of all these themes, told with great artistry, that makes this a great novel.



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