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Some Things Are Better Left Unplugged
Join The Man and his Nemesis, the obese tabby, for a nightmare roller coaster ride into this postmodern history. Take Alice in Wonderland, Dark City, and Pilgrim's Progress. Put them in a blender with a lot of dry ice. Mix and serve in a dirty, broken glass. And that's just the first chapter of Some Things Are Better Left Unplugged. This postmodern fable examines the need for myth, metaphor and identity. The story satirizes many of our everyday obsessions, including the pursuit of wealth and materialism; the thirst for empty spectacles and violence; and the need for obtaining social status. This absurd tale will delight you in the tradition of Camus' The Stranger and Beckett's Waiting for Godot.
156 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 2001
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
May 20, 2012
I read somewhere that this novella was a sort of "anti-novel," and if not liking it makes it an anti-novel this one wins. I wasn't that big of a fan of this authors style, Sakowski not only seems to leave a lot of stuff out but the plot didn't fully bloom either. Maybe that is what "anti-novel" means.
"Some Things Are Better Left Unplugged" is surreal if anything. Sakowski carefully keeps the reader at arms length, employing choppy sentences, bad grammar, and fragments, describing its scenery with awkward detachment, and avoiding character names in favor of descriptions like "the man," "the prophet," and "the obese tabby," all of which kept me thinking, is the writer trying too hard to make this feel like Noir? Is this what "anti-novel" means? Am I just not getting this? Am I in the wrong here? Noir isn't "anti-novel" right?
I could tell the author knew his characters, at least I got that much; however, I did not, and that left me feeling jilted. I never felt like I had any sort of real grasp of who any character was. I do not enjoy when I have to mentally work harder then the author to get the details of the plot and characters within my own imagination. It was flat read which left me saying, "blah." I don't think this novella was well planned or thought, that it left a lot of the meat of it out. Wouldn't recommend it.
"Some Things Are Better Left Unplugged" is surreal if anything. Sakowski carefully keeps the reader at arms length, employing choppy sentences, bad grammar, and fragments, describing its scenery with awkward detachment, and avoiding character names in favor of descriptions like "the man," "the prophet," and "the obese tabby," all of which kept me thinking, is the writer trying too hard to make this feel like Noir? Is this what "anti-novel" means? Am I just not getting this? Am I in the wrong here? Noir isn't "anti-novel" right?
I could tell the author knew his characters, at least I got that much; however, I did not, and that left me feeling jilted. I never felt like I had any sort of real grasp of who any character was. I do not enjoy when I have to mentally work harder then the author to get the details of the plot and characters within my own imagination. It was flat read which left me saying, "blah." I don't think this novella was well planned or thought, that it left a lot of the meat of it out. Wouldn't recommend it.
October 19, 2024
This is your typical "What did I just read?" moment.
A homo mountain? An old dilapidated office run by what? A prophet? A giant Scrabble in a coliseum? An obese tabby?
And to top it all off, I don't even understand any of it.
A homo mountain? An old dilapidated office run by what? A prophet? A giant Scrabble in a coliseum? An obese tabby?
And to top it all off, I don't even understand any of it.
May 31, 2009
A wonderful book. I always relate to insane homeless women so I was delighted this had one in it.
January 13, 2013
Many of the great stories that humans share with each other feature two entities in opposition to each other. Sometimes these entities are emotionless nations, sometimes equally indifferent businesses. The best of these, the tales that really draw you into their world, feature two people or people-like beings. Some Things Are Better Left Unplugged is one of these stories.
The Man and the Obese Tabby are nemesises, but their struggle is not one of swords, sorcery, or other fantastic methods. No, theirs is a battle of words, a fight of gentlemanly means. Both seek the power of the Prize, a formless and unseen concept that drives both beings for dominance of their surreal world.
There are no armies, there are no guns. The battles fought are for personal discovery, the spoils are knowledge. There is a climactic battle, but one unlike anyone has ever portrayed in fiction.
Bizarro has been compared to the pulps of years gone by, fun and quirky but having little in the way of literary merit. Mr. Sakowski has managed to transcend this idea with this novel, and created what many academics might argue contains the marks of truly classic literature. Timeless in setting, themes, and plot devices while containing universally understandable and memorable characters.
Some Things Are Better Left Unplugged is a new modern myth, a tale deserving of careful scrutiny and study. Don't be surprised if this book becomes required reading for contemporary literature courses in the coming years. But don't be scared by its literary merit. Like all Bizarro, this tale is above all FUN!
The Man and the Obese Tabby are nemesises, but their struggle is not one of swords, sorcery, or other fantastic methods. No, theirs is a battle of words, a fight of gentlemanly means. Both seek the power of the Prize, a formless and unseen concept that drives both beings for dominance of their surreal world.
There are no armies, there are no guns. The battles fought are for personal discovery, the spoils are knowledge. There is a climactic battle, but one unlike anyone has ever portrayed in fiction.
Bizarro has been compared to the pulps of years gone by, fun and quirky but having little in the way of literary merit. Mr. Sakowski has managed to transcend this idea with this novel, and created what many academics might argue contains the marks of truly classic literature. Timeless in setting, themes, and plot devices while containing universally understandable and memorable characters.
Some Things Are Better Left Unplugged is a new modern myth, a tale deserving of careful scrutiny and study. Don't be surprised if this book becomes required reading for contemporary literature courses in the coming years. But don't be scared by its literary merit. Like all Bizarro, this tale is above all FUN!
April 12, 2019
This was certainly a unique read. The story is rather disorganized and Sakowski writes what seem to be fables with no lesson to take away. It's almost like he jam-packed this book full of symbols and archetypes then said 'What if the symbols don't mean anything? and the archetypes are actually just, like, people?' He labelled the book an 'anti-novel' and it certainly is that.
I get frustrated with absurdism because, in the end, it's really just nihilism. And with that comes heaps of insincerity which just leaves me feeling bitter. But, with that being said, this was pretty enjoyable absurdism.
I get frustrated with absurdism because, in the end, it's really just nihilism. And with that comes heaps of insincerity which just leaves me feeling bitter. But, with that being said, this was pretty enjoyable absurdism.
October 8, 2016
This book is what I'd like to consider a somewhat entertaining "nonsense allegory" -- a surreal story containing a lot of freely imagined scenarios and whacked-out characters but touched with a false air/suggestion of symbolism through its style of story-telling that gives it more sense of authorial deliberation than it deserves.
As the Goodreads description suggests, the narrative is kind-of sort-of similar to the Pilgrim's Progress allegorical style in the way that it never really gives hard names to characters, and places are referred to in such a way as to suggest some deeper layer of meaning (such as "Garden of Earthly Delights"); also, objects' names (such as "Prize") are capitalized, and profundities are sprinkled throughout the narrative and dialogue. All this, combined with its consistently opaque situations and constant thwarting of "normal/simple" expectations in how events should pan out, gives this bizarre and otherwise blatantly nonsensical novel a sense of "allegorical depth and wisdom" that really isn't there, the deeper meaning it constantly hints at never revealed.
At the end of my read, and contrary to how I felt reading the first couple of chapters in the story, I felt as if the author had crafted this story more or less with no overall outline/plan and without much edit. When I say without much edit, I mean in how the story's big picture eventually took shape and not in its writing (which in itself was mostly okay, having its fair share of both evocative language and skeletal descriptions, fragments and other experimental styles that at times worked well while at others jarred, etc, but which was technically solid and error-free).
But did I enjoy this book? I guess that's the main question. Overall, I'm kind of mid-road on this one. On the one hand, it was highly original and the characters and events were downright entertaining because of just how outlandish and freely imagined they were. And there was even an element of comedy to it all, in addition to possible satire (if, in fact, the author was trying to make fun of the idea that stories told in an allegorical tone are automatically taken more seriously than those that are written normally, even if the underlying content was non-existent or ultimately nonsense). I ended up only slightly suspecting this was the case and ended up leaning more on the idea that the overall story was, in fact, a bunch of nonsense.
Entertaining nonsense, yes. But nonsense nonetheless.
2.5/5
As the Goodreads description suggests, the narrative is kind-of sort-of similar to the Pilgrim's Progress allegorical style in the way that it never really gives hard names to characters, and places are referred to in such a way as to suggest some deeper layer of meaning (such as "Garden of Earthly Delights"); also, objects' names (such as "Prize") are capitalized, and profundities are sprinkled throughout the narrative and dialogue. All this, combined with its consistently opaque situations and constant thwarting of "normal/simple" expectations in how events should pan out, gives this bizarre and otherwise blatantly nonsensical novel a sense of "allegorical depth and wisdom" that really isn't there, the deeper meaning it constantly hints at never revealed.
At the end of my read, and contrary to how I felt reading the first couple of chapters in the story, I felt as if the author had crafted this story more or less with no overall outline/plan and without much edit. When I say without much edit, I mean in how the story's big picture eventually took shape and not in its writing (which in itself was mostly okay, having its fair share of both evocative language and skeletal descriptions, fragments and other experimental styles that at times worked well while at others jarred, etc, but which was technically solid and error-free).
But did I enjoy this book? I guess that's the main question. Overall, I'm kind of mid-road on this one. On the one hand, it was highly original and the characters and events were downright entertaining because of just how outlandish and freely imagined they were. And there was even an element of comedy to it all, in addition to possible satire (if, in fact, the author was trying to make fun of the idea that stories told in an allegorical tone are automatically taken more seriously than those that are written normally, even if the underlying content was non-existent or ultimately nonsense). I ended up only slightly suspecting this was the case and ended up leaning more on the idea that the overall story was, in fact, a bunch of nonsense.
Entertaining nonsense, yes. But nonsense nonetheless.
2.5/5
May 30, 2012
Just to get this out of the way right now: I am in love with Vincent Sakowski’s Some Things Are Better Left Unplugged. I love the chopped, methodical pace of the text; I love the bizarre characters; I love that this relates to Donihe’s Shall We Gather At The Garden?; I love the anti-hero, mythological, hard-to-pin-down, Waiting For Godot-like story.
After reading other reviews of this work, it’s easy to understand why so many people either just don’t like it or just find it “so-so”. Yes, the structure is unusual. Yes, there is no definable plot. Yes, there is little to no character development. Based upon reviews, I would have never picked up and read this book. So, what exactly is there that draws me to this text?
Sakowski brings it like Beckett and allows me to sit and think and make up my own interpretation.
This book, like Donihe’s works, allows the reader to partake in an epic quest. (I swear that the spirit of Joseph Campbell is haunting me). The result of this quest is based upon the reader’s overall interpretation and application of what may or may not be metaphor. This book can serve as a catalyst for conversation and debate. That is something that gives this book energy and power. Love it or hate it, I took away magic from this text, something special and unique to me.
I am drawn in by the author’s image-weaving and near-purposelessness; I am drawn in by the author’s blatant mockery of materialism and ruthless selfishness, of our culture and our inherent inhumanity; I am drawn in by the author’s hilarious ending.
In short, Some Things Are Better Left Unplugged rocks my brain-meat.
After reading other reviews of this work, it’s easy to understand why so many people either just don’t like it or just find it “so-so”. Yes, the structure is unusual. Yes, there is no definable plot. Yes, there is little to no character development. Based upon reviews, I would have never picked up and read this book. So, what exactly is there that draws me to this text?
Sakowski brings it like Beckett and allows me to sit and think and make up my own interpretation.
This book, like Donihe’s works, allows the reader to partake in an epic quest. (I swear that the spirit of Joseph Campbell is haunting me). The result of this quest is based upon the reader’s overall interpretation and application of what may or may not be metaphor. This book can serve as a catalyst for conversation and debate. That is something that gives this book energy and power. Love it or hate it, I took away magic from this text, something special and unique to me.
I am drawn in by the author’s image-weaving and near-purposelessness; I am drawn in by the author’s blatant mockery of materialism and ruthless selfishness, of our culture and our inherent inhumanity; I am drawn in by the author’s hilarious ending.
In short, Some Things Are Better Left Unplugged rocks my brain-meat.
August 21, 2014
Usually a 150 page book would take me about a day to read. I've had a lot of starts and stops with this particular book, been difficult to sink my teeth into. The imagery is peculiar and the story wanders, not in a bad way for what I assume the author is trying to accomplish. As far as bizarre fiction goes, not my favorite. Frankly, the back cover is some of the best writing.
Between the covers, really enjoyed One Hand Clap:
Go and sing for the birds and the trees,
Try and stop/start? another disease,
Take up whatever cause you please -
But who will mourn for the dinosaur?
Go and fill our skies with smog and death,
Then try to ... something something something
Then try to deny it with your shallow breath.
Just take it all until there's nothing left -
So who will mourn for the dinosaur?
You can go out and get a gun -
Then kill someone for a place in the sun.
Or some will do it just for fun -
But who will mourn the dinosaur?
Go and watch TV to forget your fears.
Leave your kids to be raised by their peers.
Everyone says they listen but nobody hears -
So who will mourn for the dinosaur?
Ignore the problems between white and black.
Hide behind your wealth for what you lack.
Dream we all go on so don't look back -
But who will mourn for the dinosaur?
So look to somewhere better than here -
Meanwhile watch each species disappear.
But remember that every wish hides a fear -
So who will mourn for the dinosaur?
Pg. 114 Sometimes a man needs his demons -keeps him on his toes.
Between the covers, really enjoyed One Hand Clap:
Go and sing for the birds and the trees,
Try and stop/start? another disease,
Take up whatever cause you please -
But who will mourn for the dinosaur?
Go and fill our skies with smog and death,
Then try to ... something something something
Then try to deny it with your shallow breath.
Just take it all until there's nothing left -
So who will mourn for the dinosaur?
You can go out and get a gun -
Then kill someone for a place in the sun.
Or some will do it just for fun -
But who will mourn the dinosaur?
Go and watch TV to forget your fears.
Leave your kids to be raised by their peers.
Everyone says they listen but nobody hears -
So who will mourn for the dinosaur?
Ignore the problems between white and black.
Hide behind your wealth for what you lack.
Dream we all go on so don't look back -
But who will mourn for the dinosaur?
So look to somewhere better than here -
Meanwhile watch each species disappear.
But remember that every wish hides a fear -
So who will mourn for the dinosaur?
Pg. 114 Sometimes a man needs his demons -keeps him on his toes.
October 9, 2008
UNPLUGGED has been billed as an anti-novel and believe me it delivers. Sure you've read plenty of books with anti-heroes but how about anti-villains of the polite and genteel variety? UNPLUGGED is an ambitious novel, dense with layers of meaning and rife with irony. Sakowski has a gift for illustrating the absurd.
Follow our "hero", The Man, as he makes his way through countless ridiculous and chilling situations. Picture a kingdom of marionettes ruled by an Emperor, a penguin of course. Meet half-crazed citizens clutching their most prized possessions close to them, their misfortunes. Sounds a bit like your average cocktail party in the modern day.
Stylistically UNPLUGGED is like an amputating scalpel under operating theater lights. Razor sharp and clinical, Sakowski's words cut to the heart of the matter while casting glittering reflections on countless topics. The combination of stripped bare prose with complex images and ideas creates a dizzying effect which makes you wonder how such a slim volume can contain so much. Put this one down on your reading list, twice.
Follow our "hero", The Man, as he makes his way through countless ridiculous and chilling situations. Picture a kingdom of marionettes ruled by an Emperor, a penguin of course. Meet half-crazed citizens clutching their most prized possessions close to them, their misfortunes. Sounds a bit like your average cocktail party in the modern day.
Stylistically UNPLUGGED is like an amputating scalpel under operating theater lights. Razor sharp and clinical, Sakowski's words cut to the heart of the matter while casting glittering reflections on countless topics. The combination of stripped bare prose with complex images and ideas creates a dizzying effect which makes you wonder how such a slim volume can contain so much. Put this one down on your reading list, twice.
July 7, 2010
Eh... this one didn't grab me. A slim and self-conscious exercise in surrealism, Some Things Are Better Left Unplugged carefully keeps the reader at arms' length, using choppy sentences and sentence fragments, describing its scenery with studied detachment, and avoiding character names in favor of descriptions like "the man" and "the prophet" and "the obese tabby," all of which frequently reminded me that I was reading a Fiction.
There is narrative flow, and there are some interesting environments and turns of phrase (I especially liked the business name "Mammoth Undertaking")... I did finish this book, but it left me feeling more than a little disappointed.
There is narrative flow, and there are some interesting environments and turns of phrase (I especially liked the business name "Mammoth Undertaking")... I did finish this book, but it left me feeling more than a little disappointed.
October 25, 2007
This book is a trip,I didn't understand all of it, but I didn't want it to end either.
January 4, 2008
Reads like a Sci-Fi Channel mini-series which I found strangely satisfying.
June 19, 2012
i just cannot finish this, no matter how hard i try. it is painful to me. and i'm sorry i have to admit it. i really wanted to like this. :(
July 23, 2014
An ok story that is poking fun at our culture. Well written but not terribly exciting to read. I guess this just shows how much I'm a part of the culture being satired.
March 14, 2016
I absolutely love this story as it is surreal but its meaning is deeply felt probably differently each time.
May 8, 2016
this book sucks don't Waste your time or money
July 14, 2016
this book was easy to confusing and boring I could not get into it.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews