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The Art of Sufficient Conclusions
Sarah Dearing combines fact and fiction in a complex journey to uncover the secret of her father's past as a child model for a sexually ambiguous British aristocrat.
The Art of Sufficient Conclusions is a groundbreaking literary mash-up of fiction, memoir, and archival material, tracing the complex processes of personal identity, belief, and the creation of art itself. Disgraced former schoolteacher Abigail Strafe stands in for the author as she delves into a mysterious slice of family lore. Told that her long-dead father was sold as a sculptor's model in 1920s London, Abbie becomes obsessed with knowing the circumstances under which the transaction took place and the underlying nature of the relationship.
As clues emerge, a scientist boyfriend provides Abbie with a printout of her genetic make-up and the opportunity to examine her own flawed character from both sides of the nature/nurture divide. Truth, on both fronts, is elusive, so Abbie must choose what to believe
The Art of Sufficient Conclusions is a groundbreaking literary mash-up of fiction, memoir, and archival material, tracing the complex processes of personal identity, belief, and the creation of art itself. Disgraced former schoolteacher Abigail Strafe stands in for the author as she delves into a mysterious slice of family lore. Told that her long-dead father was sold as a sculptor's model in 1920s London, Abbie becomes obsessed with knowing the circumstances under which the transaction took place and the underlying nature of the relationship.
As clues emerge, a scientist boyfriend provides Abbie with a printout of her genetic make-up and the opportunity to examine her own flawed character from both sides of the nature/nurture divide. Truth, on both fronts, is elusive, so Abbie must choose what to believe
230 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2011
138 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
January 14, 2013
I really enjoyed this book - the first I've read by Sarah Dearing. Beautiful writing and Abbie is the kind of character I'd like to hang out with.
June 19, 2018
I appreciated the examination of truth, both documented truth and imagined truth. The love interest part interested me less than did the search for information about the father’s relationship with the mysterious Osborne.
September 7, 2013
I won a copy of this book through a Goodreads First Reads giveaway - thank you!
This novel is a hybrid of several genres. Though it is a work of fiction, it dips into memoir, philosophy, psychology and even genetics. The protagonist, Abigail, spends most of her time with Julian, a geneticist who is working on a book that will preface his colleagues' ability to read people's genetic information so they know what their futures hold (e.g. to what diseases they are susceptible). Abbie, while acting as Julian's assistant on the book, is also his girlfriend. They spend much of their time discussing the human condition, debating nature vs. nurture, exploring the meaning of art, and deconstructing other philosophical ideas. Despite (and perhaps because of) their intelligence, both are passive-aggressive and bad at romance. They have trouble exploring their actual feelings about anything, though complex philosophical opinions are on the tip of their tongues.
The two travel to England for a conference, and both are influenced by the other people they meet. This causes dissection of their relationship, and when they return to Toronto they will have to set aside the philosophy and deal with the circumstances of their actual lives (marriage, health, family) that even the most simple among us faces every day.
I really enjoyed this because it was so different from other books that say "A Novel" after the title. Abbie is emotionally stunted, sarcastic, hilarious, obnoxious - as a narrator, she was a real pleasure. Her actions are questionable, but for her character they ring true. I love reading non-fiction about sociology and psychology, so all the discussion of those concepts was of interest to me. I also liked the hint of sci-fi here, because it's the best kind of sci-fi, the kind that really will come true soon. Some others have said the writing is pretentious, but it's the characters who are sometimes pretentious, and this is written in first person. I found the writing poetic, often sad, and loved the observations about society, like the reflection about the different types of public crying and how to react to each.
I recommend this book to readers who are interested in how the science of genetics will shape our future, or those who are fascinated by smart people who a stupid about life. However, readers who don't enjoy philosophizing or who become frustrated with stagnant, child-like, genius adults, would be best-served to look elsewhere.
This novel is a hybrid of several genres. Though it is a work of fiction, it dips into memoir, philosophy, psychology and even genetics. The protagonist, Abigail, spends most of her time with Julian, a geneticist who is working on a book that will preface his colleagues' ability to read people's genetic information so they know what their futures hold (e.g. to what diseases they are susceptible). Abbie, while acting as Julian's assistant on the book, is also his girlfriend. They spend much of their time discussing the human condition, debating nature vs. nurture, exploring the meaning of art, and deconstructing other philosophical ideas. Despite (and perhaps because of) their intelligence, both are passive-aggressive and bad at romance. They have trouble exploring their actual feelings about anything, though complex philosophical opinions are on the tip of their tongues.
The two travel to England for a conference, and both are influenced by the other people they meet. This causes dissection of their relationship, and when they return to Toronto they will have to set aside the philosophy and deal with the circumstances of their actual lives (marriage, health, family) that even the most simple among us faces every day.
I really enjoyed this because it was so different from other books that say "A Novel" after the title. Abbie is emotionally stunted, sarcastic, hilarious, obnoxious - as a narrator, she was a real pleasure. Her actions are questionable, but for her character they ring true. I love reading non-fiction about sociology and psychology, so all the discussion of those concepts was of interest to me. I also liked the hint of sci-fi here, because it's the best kind of sci-fi, the kind that really will come true soon. Some others have said the writing is pretentious, but it's the characters who are sometimes pretentious, and this is written in first person. I found the writing poetic, often sad, and loved the observations about society, like the reflection about the different types of public crying and how to react to each.
I recommend this book to readers who are interested in how the science of genetics will shape our future, or those who are fascinated by smart people who a stupid about life. However, readers who don't enjoy philosophizing or who become frustrated with stagnant, child-like, genius adults, would be best-served to look elsewhere.
September 6, 2013
I won a copy of this book via the Goodreads Giveaway.
Unfortunately I wasn't able to get very far in this book. I gave it an honest shot, but the writing style turned me off. As one other reviewer stated, it was far too pretentious. It puts up a wall between the narrator and the reader and there was nothing compelling enough for me to keep going.
The idea of the story was certainly intriguing, and if it had been presented in a more accessible manner it could have been an amazing read. Alas, this was not the case.
Unfortunately I wasn't able to get very far in this book. I gave it an honest shot, but the writing style turned me off. As one other reviewer stated, it was far too pretentious. It puts up a wall between the narrator and the reader and there was nothing compelling enough for me to keep going.
The idea of the story was certainly intriguing, and if it had been presented in a more accessible manner it could have been an amazing read. Alas, this was not the case.
November 10, 2014
An odd book, full if interesting ideas, but also full of weird bits of plot (and miscellaneous ideas) that don't really hang together at all... I struggled to figure out what the main point/story was while reading it. Now that I'm done, I still don't know. The main 'historical' thread seems to be autobiographical, but the bits about genetics seem pure fancy, and the two threads don't really connect, except that the main character gets treated kinda shabbily by the guy from thread #2 while working on thread #1. Not sure...
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December 19, 2013I actually hate this book. It's language is pretentious, it's narrator meandering & at page 27, I've not yet discerned what the actual plot of this story is.
I feel like if the author wanted to published a book of essays or philosophy, she should have done so, instead of thinly veiled fiction.
Shudder. I am returning this book to he library, heavy with disappointment.
I feel like if the author wanted to published a book of essays or philosophy, she should have done so, instead of thinly veiled fiction.
Shudder. I am returning this book to he library, heavy with disappointment.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews