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Heather, the Totality
Named a Barnes & Noble Best Book of the The explosive debut novel about family, power, and privilege from the creator of the award-winning Mad Men. Mark and Karen Breakstone have constructed the idyllic life of wealth and status they always wanted, made complete by their beautiful and extraordinary daughter Heather. But they are still not quite at the top. When the new owners of the penthouse above them begin construction, an unstable stranger penetrates the security of their comfortable lives and threatens to destroy everything they've created.
145 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 1, 2017
335 people are currently reading
5543 people want to read
About the author
Matthew Weiner
11 books86 followersMatthew Weiner is an American writer, director and producer. He is the creator of the AMC television drama series Mad Men, which premiered in 2007 and ended in 2015. He is also noted for his work on the HBO drama series The Sopranos, on which he served as a writer and producer during the show's fifth and sixth seasons (2004; 2006–2007). He directed the comedy film Are You Here in 2013, marking his filmmaking debut.
Weiner has received nine Primetime Emmy Awards for his work on Mad Men and The Sopranos, winning three for Mad Men, as well as three Golden Globe Awards for Mad Men. Mad Men won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series for four consecutive years (2008, 2009, 2010, 2011); The Sopranos (with Weiner as an executive producer) won the same award twice (2004, 2007). In 2011, Weiner was included in Time's annual Time 100 as one of the "Most Influential People in the World". In November 2011, The Atlantic named him one of 21 "Brave Thinkers."
Weiner has received nine Primetime Emmy Awards for his work on Mad Men and The Sopranos, winning three for Mad Men, as well as three Golden Globe Awards for Mad Men. Mad Men won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series for four consecutive years (2008, 2009, 2010, 2011); The Sopranos (with Weiner as an executive producer) won the same award twice (2004, 2007). In 2011, Weiner was included in Time's annual Time 100 as one of the "Most Influential People in the World". In November 2011, The Atlantic named him one of 21 "Brave Thinkers."
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,265 reviews
July 13, 2017
I never expected to write another 1-star review. (This is only my second in 10 years.) These days, if something is bad I just quit reading much of the time. What happened here was a combination of curiosity and ultimately having to see it through to make sure it would end as badly as I expected. (Spoiler alert: it did.)
I was thinking maybe I wouldn't write a review at all. I don't like writing bad reviews. I take no joy in them. But readers have my loyalty more than writers and publishers, and in this case I suspect many people will want to read this book and I really want them to know that they should not. Not even a page. Put the book down. Back away slowly.
When a big name writes a book, it is not unusual for me to wonder if they got honest feedback from friends, editors, etc. Because if someone I cared about very deeply gave me this book and asked me what I thought I would tell them to put it in a drawer and maybe move on to the next thing. That would be the kind thing to do. And I am a Matthew Weiner fan. I am in the middle of a Mad Men rewatch that is only reaffirming my deep love for that series. But now, after this book, I find myself wondering if I can ever take Weiner seriously again. How could he get it this wrong? How could no one tell him?
So. The book. This is a double narrative with a detached third-person style. The prose is straightforward, realist style. There is little dialogue. And there isn't much by way of character development. The broad strokes do little to recommend it, the style is consistent but not particularly enjoyable. The story is, honestly, bizarre and will leave most readers confused and unsatisfied when they finish it. It is unclear what the point of it all is when it's all over. What did you just read? Why does it exist?
The double stories are those of the Breakstone family--well off New Yorkers of the type you have seen many times before in modern fiction--and a man named Bobby--born into poverty with a drug-addicted mother--whose lives have nothing to do with each other until they intersect at the very end of the book. But this is not one of those entangled lives stories, the intersection is relatively brief and the book ends immediately after it is over. There is no suspense or narrative pacing building to the moment they finally meet. Honestly, the narratives are both quite dull, though one of them is trying (and failing) to be shocking.
If you do actually go to the trouble of reading this book, try a little mind experiment. Imagine what your opinion of the Breakstone narrative would be if you took Bobby's narrative out.
In the early pages of this book I considered putting it down. I read the sentence, "Mark liked Karen because she had no idea how beautiful she was," and I was ready to be right out. This, like many other things in the book, has an undercurrent of misogyny that had me on my guard. It's also a cliche written so often that any writer should second-guess themselves for even thinking about putting it on paper. I wondered if maybe Weiner was doing something, trying to write about the kind of guy who would say something like that. But then I realized, No, this was just the kind of book where a woman must be beautiful and we must refer to her beauty and her breasts regularly to remind us that she is beautiful and that is why she is worthy of existing.
I do not want to give this book any more of my attention (it has already taken too much) but I want you to know that I highly recommend avoiding this book completely. Erase it from your memory. Remove it from your wish list. It is for the best.
I was thinking maybe I wouldn't write a review at all. I don't like writing bad reviews. I take no joy in them. But readers have my loyalty more than writers and publishers, and in this case I suspect many people will want to read this book and I really want them to know that they should not. Not even a page. Put the book down. Back away slowly.
When a big name writes a book, it is not unusual for me to wonder if they got honest feedback from friends, editors, etc. Because if someone I cared about very deeply gave me this book and asked me what I thought I would tell them to put it in a drawer and maybe move on to the next thing. That would be the kind thing to do. And I am a Matthew Weiner fan. I am in the middle of a Mad Men rewatch that is only reaffirming my deep love for that series. But now, after this book, I find myself wondering if I can ever take Weiner seriously again. How could he get it this wrong? How could no one tell him?
So. The book. This is a double narrative with a detached third-person style. The prose is straightforward, realist style. There is little dialogue. And there isn't much by way of character development. The broad strokes do little to recommend it, the style is consistent but not particularly enjoyable. The story is, honestly, bizarre and will leave most readers confused and unsatisfied when they finish it. It is unclear what the point of it all is when it's all over. What did you just read? Why does it exist?
The double stories are those of the Breakstone family--well off New Yorkers of the type you have seen many times before in modern fiction--and a man named Bobby--born into poverty with a drug-addicted mother--whose lives have nothing to do with each other until they intersect at the very end of the book. But this is not one of those entangled lives stories, the intersection is relatively brief and the book ends immediately after it is over. There is no suspense or narrative pacing building to the moment they finally meet. Honestly, the narratives are both quite dull, though one of them is trying (and failing) to be shocking.
If you do actually go to the trouble of reading this book, try a little mind experiment. Imagine what your opinion of the Breakstone narrative would be if you took Bobby's narrative out.
In the early pages of this book I considered putting it down. I read the sentence, "Mark liked Karen because she had no idea how beautiful she was," and I was ready to be right out. This, like many other things in the book, has an undercurrent of misogyny that had me on my guard. It's also a cliche written so often that any writer should second-guess themselves for even thinking about putting it on paper. I wondered if maybe Weiner was doing something, trying to write about the kind of guy who would say something like that. But then I realized, No, this was just the kind of book where a woman must be beautiful and we must refer to her beauty and her breasts regularly to remind us that she is beautiful and that is why she is worthy of existing.
I do not want to give this book any more of my attention (it has already taken too much) but I want you to know that I highly recommend avoiding this book completely. Erase it from your memory. Remove it from your wish list. It is for the best.
November 14, 2017
NOT EVEN KEN COSGROVE WOULD HAVE WRITTEN SUCH A RIDICULOUS BOOK.
January 14, 2025
Manhattan financier Mark Breakstone is successful enough at his job, but he seems destined never to reach the top echelon. Nevertheless, when he's introduced by friends to Karen, she sees sufficient potential to throw in her lot, and soon they are married and living in a nice apartment close to Park Avenue. Not too much later, a beautiful and seemingly gifted daughter, Heather, is born. So adorable is their offspring that it isn't long before her parents are actively competing for her affections.
In a parallel storyline we’re introduced to Bobby Klasky. His life is not so blessed. Brought up in Newark by a heroin addict mother, Bobby finds trouble easily. A series of escalating crimes follows, rounded off by a stretch of prison time. He’s going to be trouble, is Klasky.
It's clear that the paths of Klasky and the Breakstones will cross. It's equally certain that it’ll end badly. But how will they cross and just how badly will it end? You don't have to wait long to find out as this is very short novel - designed, I think, to be read in one sitting. As the tension is wound up, I found myself inventing any number of endings, though not the one that eventually transpired.
I was attracted to the book by the fact that it's written by the creator of the brilliant television series Mad Men. Well, this is nothing like the series… or is it? As some others have observed, there is a sense of moral ambiguity regarding the actions taken by the characters, which leads to a somewhat conflicted view as to who is the good guy and who’s the baddie here. For anyone who has watched episodes of Mad Men and witnessed the activities of Don Draper and Roger Sterling, you'll recognise this. The tension is well ramped up through the tale, and I liked the flow of it, with its relative lack of dialogue. It's worth catching.
My thanks to Canongate Books and NetGalley for supplying a copy of this book in exchange for a review.
In a parallel storyline we’re introduced to Bobby Klasky. His life is not so blessed. Brought up in Newark by a heroin addict mother, Bobby finds trouble easily. A series of escalating crimes follows, rounded off by a stretch of prison time. He’s going to be trouble, is Klasky.
It's clear that the paths of Klasky and the Breakstones will cross. It's equally certain that it’ll end badly. But how will they cross and just how badly will it end? You don't have to wait long to find out as this is very short novel - designed, I think, to be read in one sitting. As the tension is wound up, I found myself inventing any number of endings, though not the one that eventually transpired.
I was attracted to the book by the fact that it's written by the creator of the brilliant television series Mad Men. Well, this is nothing like the series… or is it? As some others have observed, there is a sense of moral ambiguity regarding the actions taken by the characters, which leads to a somewhat conflicted view as to who is the good guy and who’s the baddie here. For anyone who has watched episodes of Mad Men and witnessed the activities of Don Draper and Roger Sterling, you'll recognise this. The tension is well ramped up through the tale, and I liked the flow of it, with its relative lack of dialogue. It's worth catching.
My thanks to Canongate Books and NetGalley for supplying a copy of this book in exchange for a review.
October 27, 2017
This is a colossally dumb book. Boring, paint-by-numbers writing, a predictable plot, and forgettable characters. There's not even a hint of anything captivating or fresh to mitigate this tired trip down cliché lane. It was only 130 pages long, and sometimes I laughed at how dumb it all was and at how there was NO reason for this book to exist, but that's all I can muster as an endorsement.
December 28, 2017
This novella length work is not a book at all. It's the treatment you would write for a movie or the outline and biographies that you would write before you wrote the actual book. There is no dialogue, just a recitation of people doing or thinking things. Rather than being suspenseful, the whole thing just felt sort of sleazy and leering. There is no way that this would have been published if the author had not been the creator of Mad Men. It was hugely disappointing. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.
October 26, 2017
2.5 stars
I can understand the negatives reviews for this book because it was underwhelming.
People are complaining about the writing style but it didn’t bother me that much. I guess this just felt like a slightly bulked out storyboard for a TV show, which would make sense as the author wrote Mad Men.
Some people think there is no character development in this novella, but I can’t say I agree. Mark and Karen are well described throughout the book and though you don’t get much history into each character, you learn enough about them as they grow older together and have a child. Same goes for Bobby. Heather, on the other hand, is more difficult to get to know. We didn’t really get the chance to learn much about her.
I honestly feel like this book was a little above my level of understanding and maybe I didn’t get the bigger picture, but to me this just felt like a slow story of overbearing, selfish parents, their confused golden child, and the obsession of a disturbed man. I know I’m probably getting this all wrong but hey, what can you do.
I enjoyed Bobby’s monologue, even though it was filled with sick and depraved rape imaginings. I guess because he was the only character that had any character, it made his part of the story worth reading. Other than that, it was pretty boring.
I agree with reviewers who said this felt cut off all of a sudden, because it does just seem to end out of nowhere, and in a pretty dull manner.
This novel reminded me of Hubert Selby Jr’s work. Depressing, bleak, dark and slow. (But with worse characters and a less captivating plot).
Thanks to Netgalley and Little, Brown and Company for giving me the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review.
I can understand the negatives reviews for this book because it was underwhelming.
People are complaining about the writing style but it didn’t bother me that much. I guess this just felt like a slightly bulked out storyboard for a TV show, which would make sense as the author wrote Mad Men.
Some people think there is no character development in this novella, but I can’t say I agree. Mark and Karen are well described throughout the book and though you don’t get much history into each character, you learn enough about them as they grow older together and have a child. Same goes for Bobby. Heather, on the other hand, is more difficult to get to know. We didn’t really get the chance to learn much about her.
I honestly feel like this book was a little above my level of understanding and maybe I didn’t get the bigger picture, but to me this just felt like a slow story of overbearing, selfish parents, their confused golden child, and the obsession of a disturbed man. I know I’m probably getting this all wrong but hey, what can you do.
I enjoyed Bobby’s monologue, even though it was filled with sick and depraved rape imaginings. I guess because he was the only character that had any character, it made his part of the story worth reading. Other than that, it was pretty boring.
I agree with reviewers who said this felt cut off all of a sudden, because it does just seem to end out of nowhere, and in a pretty dull manner.
This novel reminded me of Hubert Selby Jr’s work. Depressing, bleak, dark and slow. (But with worse characters and a less captivating plot).
Thanks to Netgalley and Little, Brown and Company for giving me the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review.
January 2, 2018
Der Hammer!! Perfekte Länge für Zwischendurch und einfach düster und packend. Jedoch hab ich einen Stern abgezogen, weil die Sätze teilweise EXTREM lang waren und ich dauernd im Lesefluss gestört wurde.
Nichtsdestotrotz SUPER :)
Nichtsdestotrotz SUPER :)
December 7, 2017
I have always wanted to be a writer. To me there is no better job in the entire universe. As luck would have it I was working my day job waiting table’s at Dan Tanna’s in West Hollywood when Matthew Weiner, creator, writer, and show-runner for the hit television show Mad Men got seated in my section! This was my big break, I just knew it.
“Mr. Weiner, I have always wanted to write novels,” I stammered, “any chance you can give me some pointers?”
“Of course,” the generous Mr. Weiner replied removing his wool lined Homburg with it’s magnificent purple ostrich feather and setting it down on the empty chair to his left. “Why I have just finished my first novel, Heather, the Totality and I picked up a huuuge amount of experience that would no doubt be invaluable to such a strapping young man as yourself.”
He continued. “The first thing to do is to find a publisher. Make sure you take Jon Hamm along with you when you do, he is terrific for getting past the receptionist. Yes, Hamm is definitely critical.”
He continued to stress the importance to write only about rich people in New York City. They are the only type of folks people like to read about, Weiner said. In fact, the only ones that really matter in our world. He spoke about his novel, Heather, the Totality. In it Mark and Karen Breakstone a wealthy couple living on the upper North Side compete for their only child’s attention and affection. This child, Heather, is perfect in the totality—she is beautiful, eerily empathetic, intelligent, and more. When Heather is in the room she eclipses everything else in totality. Thrown into this dynamic we have Bobby, a poverty stricken mentally unstable son of a junkie who has already spent time in the slammer for deadly assault (He has already committed murder and attempted rape but was never caught). Bobby is one of the workers remodeling the penthouse above the Breakstone’s apartment. And he too has become aware of Heather…
By now Weiner was well into his seventh gimlet, he was slurring his words and every time I attempted to excuse myself he would clutch at my apron and refuse to let go. My manager, Corky, was glaring daggers at me and Weiner had just purloined the nacho dish ordered by table 8.
“Now the biggest thing to do is make your book short,” Weiner mumbled pieces of beans, cheddar cheese and chips splattering across the front of my shirt like insects against a windshield. “Really short, like just over 100 pages and make sure it is printed in a 20 point font like you would use in 5th grade to make your book report hit that 4 page stipulation.”
I honestly was not sure how to take this advice. To me his book, Heather, the Totality was a novella length story reinforcing rich privileged fears against the destitute and unlucky. It was readable and contained some nice insights into parenthood and marriage, but overall somewhat unexceptional particularly from someone who has won writing Emmys for the Sopranos and Mad Men. This condensed tale would seem more at place in the middle sections of a collection of short stories. Not really bad, but not really special either.
I was prepared to tell Mr. Weiner my thoughts when Jon Hamm walked in and gave me a manly handshake that shattered 18 of the 27 bones in my left hand. Hamm’s dazzling smile radiated over me as he asked what I thought about his good friend’s new novel. What could I do? I was trapped in Hamm’s charm-infused mojo.
“This baby is a 5 star book for sure,” I squeaked, “sure to be the best of the year”. Man, when I write my new book I gotta get me one of them there Hamms!
“Mr. Weiner, I have always wanted to write novels,” I stammered, “any chance you can give me some pointers?”
“Of course,” the generous Mr. Weiner replied removing his wool lined Homburg with it’s magnificent purple ostrich feather and setting it down on the empty chair to his left. “Why I have just finished my first novel, Heather, the Totality and I picked up a huuuge amount of experience that would no doubt be invaluable to such a strapping young man as yourself.”
He continued. “The first thing to do is to find a publisher. Make sure you take Jon Hamm along with you when you do, he is terrific for getting past the receptionist. Yes, Hamm is definitely critical.”
He continued to stress the importance to write only about rich people in New York City. They are the only type of folks people like to read about, Weiner said. In fact, the only ones that really matter in our world. He spoke about his novel, Heather, the Totality. In it Mark and Karen Breakstone a wealthy couple living on the upper North Side compete for their only child’s attention and affection. This child, Heather, is perfect in the totality—she is beautiful, eerily empathetic, intelligent, and more. When Heather is in the room she eclipses everything else in totality. Thrown into this dynamic we have Bobby, a poverty stricken mentally unstable son of a junkie who has already spent time in the slammer for deadly assault (He has already committed murder and attempted rape but was never caught). Bobby is one of the workers remodeling the penthouse above the Breakstone’s apartment. And he too has become aware of Heather…
By now Weiner was well into his seventh gimlet, he was slurring his words and every time I attempted to excuse myself he would clutch at my apron and refuse to let go. My manager, Corky, was glaring daggers at me and Weiner had just purloined the nacho dish ordered by table 8.
“Now the biggest thing to do is make your book short,” Weiner mumbled pieces of beans, cheddar cheese and chips splattering across the front of my shirt like insects against a windshield. “Really short, like just over 100 pages and make sure it is printed in a 20 point font like you would use in 5th grade to make your book report hit that 4 page stipulation.”
I honestly was not sure how to take this advice. To me his book, Heather, the Totality was a novella length story reinforcing rich privileged fears against the destitute and unlucky. It was readable and contained some nice insights into parenthood and marriage, but overall somewhat unexceptional particularly from someone who has won writing Emmys for the Sopranos and Mad Men. This condensed tale would seem more at place in the middle sections of a collection of short stories. Not really bad, but not really special either.
I was prepared to tell Mr. Weiner my thoughts when Jon Hamm walked in and gave me a manly handshake that shattered 18 of the 27 bones in my left hand. Hamm’s dazzling smile radiated over me as he asked what I thought about his good friend’s new novel. What could I do? I was trapped in Hamm’s charm-infused mojo.
“This baby is a 5 star book for sure,” I squeaked, “sure to be the best of the year”. Man, when I write my new book I gotta get me one of them there Hamms!
September 23, 2017
The best thing about this book is that it's short. Other than that, it was a waste of time.
May 2, 2022
This story is one of the most inhumane books I have ever read. I understand the low rating and the abundance of negative reviews on Matthew Weiner's literary debut, as I understand that there is no need to blame the mirror (hereinafter).
Because "Heather, the Totality" is a mirror. Accurate and merciless, reflecting reality, with its stratification into Eloi and Morlocks, which has already happened. Not as obvious as H.G. Wells's: on the external level, if there are differences, they are insignificant - not such as clothes and a couple of months of training could not remove.
On the inside, modern humanity has long been divided into two races. One shoots and watches movies (different) writes and reads books (different), composes and listens to music (also different). Another... Another. Financial stratification is not a determining factor, although it is very significant, comfort and the absence of the need to break down on hard work for a piece of bread 24/7 give more opportunities than decent poverty. But in general, this is not the main thing.
More important is the willingness to take from those who have, without giving anything in return. A watershed runs along this line.
Превентивные меры
Два мира - два Шапиро.
Эта повесть - одна из самых антигуманных книг, какие мне доводилось читать. Я понимаю низкий рейтинг и обилие негативных отзывов на литературный дебют Мэттью Вайнера, как понимаю и то, что неча на зеркало пенять (далее по тексту).
Потому что "Хизер превыше всего" зеркало. Точное и беспощадное, отражающее действительность, с ее расслоением на элоев и морлоков, которое уже произошло. Не столь наглядное, как у Герберта Уэллса: на внешнем уровне если и есть отличия, то незначительные - не такие, какие не могли бы снивелировать одежда и пара месяцев дрессуры.
На внутреннем, современное человечество давно уже разнесено на две расы. Одна снимает и смотрит кино (разное) пишет и читает книги (разные), сочиняет слушает музыку (тоже разную). Другая... другая. Финансовое расслоение не определяющий фактор, хотя очень значимый, комфорт и отсутствие необходимости ломаться на тяжелой работе ради куска хлеба в режиме 24/7 дают больше возможностей, чем достойная бедность. Но в целом, не это главное.
Важнее готовность брать у тех, кто имеет, ничего не давая взамен. По этой линии проходит водораздел. Марк вырос в простой семье, любимым себя никогда не чувствовал, внимание родителей было поглощено сестрой. которой они сначала любовались, а потом отдали все наличные силы борьбе с ее пищевым поведением, девушка была аноресичкой. Когда она уморила себя голодом насмерть, отец и мать нашли утешение в садово-огородных работах.
Да ничего странного, земледельческие циклы апеллируют к нашим глубинным корням и могут успокаивать глубокую боль самой возможностью культивации, и шансом сделать в нынешнем году лучше, учтя ошибки прошлого, а следующем году еще лучше, учтя ошибки нынешнего. Только вот Марк не вписывался в эту схему ни в каком качестве. И он, не наделенный ни красотой, ни особыми талантами, поставил цель покинуть этот круг, каковой и добился постепенно.
Карен была красива. Она и сама не осознавала, насколько хороша, не тяготилась одиночеством в возрасте. когда подруги не только успели обзавестись детьми, но и стать родителями подростков. И напрочь лишена той наступательной агрессии, которая делает привлекательных людей неотразимыми в отсутствии у них подлинной благодати. Но хорошо видела, как материальные проблемы осложняют жизнь и думала: "если уж замуж - то за того, кто сумеет обеспечить". Они встретились, секс был удовлетворителен, а если вы назовете это браком по расчету, то, пожалуй, не ошибетесь.
Но Хизер, дивная малышка Хизер, их дочь, стоила того, чтобы эти двое встретились. Красивая, обаятельная, добрая и сострадательная, она пришла в мир, чтобы изменить его к лучшему. И все любили Хизер. А Бобби не любил никто, с самого момента его рождения (и со времени, предшествующего этому рождению от матери-наркоманки и неизвестного отца). Он не голодал, но досыта ел редко. У него не было красивой модной одежды и дискуссионного клуба он не посещал.
Некрасивый коренастый, с детства привык утешать душевную боль алкоголем, а в тюрягу загремел в семнадцать. За то, что избил сестру приятеля, которая крутила перед ним задом, а как до дела дошло, давать отказалась. На счастье Бобби, он не умел выразить сексуального желания словами, девушка подала заявление за побои, а не за попытку изнасилования, по той статье бы пришлось сидеть куда дольше. В камере ему объяснили, что если бы он убил, вместо того, чтобы избить - вообще не сел бы.
Когда обстоятельства, которые должны бы развести этих двоих, сведут их, случится нечто неожиданное. Ради чего стоит прочесть эту небольшую книгу. Хотя бы за тем, чтобы ответить на вопрос, как вы относитесь к тому, что сделал Марк?
Because "Heather, the Totality" is a mirror. Accurate and merciless, reflecting reality, with its stratification into Eloi and Morlocks, which has already happened. Not as obvious as H.G. Wells's: on the external level, if there are differences, they are insignificant - not such as clothes and a couple of months of training could not remove.
On the inside, modern humanity has long been divided into two races. One shoots and watches movies (different) writes and reads books (different), composes and listens to music (also different). Another... Another. Financial stratification is not a determining factor, although it is very significant, comfort and the absence of the need to break down on hard work for a piece of bread 24/7 give more opportunities than decent poverty. But in general, this is not the main thing.
More important is the willingness to take from those who have, without giving anything in return. A watershed runs along this line.
Превентивные меры
Два мира - два Шапиро.
Эта повесть - одна из самых антигуманных книг, какие мне доводилось читать. Я понимаю низкий рейтинг и обилие негативных отзывов на литературный дебют Мэттью Вайнера, как понимаю и то, что неча на зеркало пенять (далее по тексту).
Потому что "Хизер превыше всего" зеркало. Точное и беспощадное, отражающее действительность, с ее расслоением на элоев и морлоков, которое уже произошло. Не столь наглядное, как у Герберта Уэллса: на внешнем уровне если и есть отличия, то незначительные - не такие, какие не могли бы снивелировать одежда и пара месяцев дрессуры.
На внутреннем, современное человечество давно уже разнесено на две расы. Одна снимает и смотрит кино (разное) пишет и читает книги (разные), сочиняет слушает музыку (тоже разную). Другая... другая. Финансовое расслоение не определяющий фактор, хотя очень значимый, комфорт и отсутствие необходимости ломаться на тяжелой работе ради куска хлеба в режиме 24/7 дают больше возможностей, чем достойная бедность. Но в целом, не это главное.
Важнее готовность брать у тех, кто имеет, ничего не давая взамен. По этой линии проходит водораздел. Марк вырос в простой семье, любимым себя никогда не чувствовал, внимание родителей было поглощено сестрой. которой они сначала любовались, а потом отдали все наличные силы борьбе с ее пищевым поведением, девушка была аноресичкой. Когда она уморила себя голодом насмерть, отец и мать нашли утешение в садово-огородных работах.
Да ничего странного, земледельческие циклы апеллируют к нашим глубинным корням и могут успокаивать глубокую боль самой возможностью культивации, и шансом сделать в нынешнем году лучше, учтя ошибки прошлого, а следующем году еще лучше, учтя ошибки нынешнего. Только вот Марк не вписывался в эту схему ни в каком качестве. И он, не наделенный ни красотой, ни особыми талантами, поставил цель покинуть этот круг, каковой и добился постепенно.
Карен была красива. Она и сама не осознавала, насколько хороша, не тяготилась одиночеством в возрасте. когда подруги не только успели обзавестись детьми, но и стать родителями подростков. И напрочь лишена той наступательной агрессии, которая делает привлекательных людей неотразимыми в отсутствии у них подлинной благодати. Но хорошо видела, как материальные проблемы осложняют жизнь и думала: "если уж замуж - то за того, кто сумеет обеспечить". Они встретились, секс был удовлетворителен, а если вы назовете это браком по расчету, то, пожалуй, не ошибетесь.
Но Хизер, дивная малышка Хизер, их дочь, стоила того, чтобы эти двое встретились. Красивая, обаятельная, добрая и сострадательная, она пришла в мир, чтобы изменить его к лучшему. И все любили Хизер. А Бобби не любил никто, с самого момента его рождения (и со времени, предшествующего этому рождению от матери-наркоманки и неизвестного отца). Он не голодал, но досыта ел редко. У него не было красивой модной одежды и дискуссионного клуба он не посещал.
Некрасивый коренастый, с детства привык утешать душевную боль алкоголем, а в тюрягу загремел в семнадцать. За то, что избил сестру приятеля, которая крутила перед ним задом, а как до дела дошло, давать отказалась. На счастье Бобби, он не умел выразить сексуального желания словами, девушка подала заявление за побои, а не за попытку изнасилования, по той статье бы пришлось сидеть куда дольше. В камере ему объяснили, что если бы он убил, вместо того, чтобы избить - вообще не сел бы.
Когда обстоятельства, которые должны бы развести этих двоих, сведут их, случится нечто неожиданное. Ради чего стоит прочесть эту небольшую книгу. Хотя бы за тем, чтобы ответить на вопрос, как вы относитесь к тому, что сделал Марк?
November 1, 2017
Tense and deadpan in God's-eye journalistic style, Heather, The Totality is a spare and sparse hypnotic story about people tumbling helplessly towards irrevocable breakdown. The storytelling is almost cold and distant as it rummages through the characters' lives, past and present, but the view of the characters is close-up and personal, delving into their most private thoughts, real and perceived.
I admit that I couldn't put this down for love or money (or even sleep) once I'd started, its pacey telling pulled me in and wouldn't let go. I started and finished it in the same evening, and stayed up till the small hours to find out what happens in its satisfying, if bleak, denouement.
Mark and Karen Breakstone have produced, by sheer luck, a pleasant daughter, Heather, whose sheltered and comfortable life as the centre of her devoted, doting parents' affections has moulded her into someone quite special; her carefree, luxurious existence has endowed her with the ability to empathise with other people without judgement, and to imbue her, in adolescence, with a desire to help those less fortunate than herself and her parents – which, in her quite privileged place in the social and economic hierarchy of New York, is almost everyone.
But her sunny disposition and youthful beauty draws the attention of more sinister people, against whose covetousness of her attractiveness and good fortune she is unprepared, having lived in the gilded and often suffocating cage of her parents' affections all her life.
Heather The Totality is a fairly short novel, at 144 pages, but it is absolutely perfectly formed, and its fast pace and sinister, unblinking, impassive irony gives a deceptive weight to deeper issues of parenting, rich-poor divide, opportunities and sheer bloody good – and bad – fortune. Weiner has crafted a novel that is far more than a simple tale of family life, and examines in an uncomfortable light the polar ends of the spectrum of fortune and misfortune, and the tragedy that ensues from such divides.
Many thanks to the publisher, Canongate, for a review copy of Heather, The Totality via NetGalley
I admit that I couldn't put this down for love or money (or even sleep) once I'd started, its pacey telling pulled me in and wouldn't let go. I started and finished it in the same evening, and stayed up till the small hours to find out what happens in its satisfying, if bleak, denouement.
Mark and Karen Breakstone have produced, by sheer luck, a pleasant daughter, Heather, whose sheltered and comfortable life as the centre of her devoted, doting parents' affections has moulded her into someone quite special; her carefree, luxurious existence has endowed her with the ability to empathise with other people without judgement, and to imbue her, in adolescence, with a desire to help those less fortunate than herself and her parents – which, in her quite privileged place in the social and economic hierarchy of New York, is almost everyone.
But her sunny disposition and youthful beauty draws the attention of more sinister people, against whose covetousness of her attractiveness and good fortune she is unprepared, having lived in the gilded and often suffocating cage of her parents' affections all her life.
Heather The Totality is a fairly short novel, at 144 pages, but it is absolutely perfectly formed, and its fast pace and sinister, unblinking, impassive irony gives a deceptive weight to deeper issues of parenting, rich-poor divide, opportunities and sheer bloody good – and bad – fortune. Weiner has crafted a novel that is far more than a simple tale of family life, and examines in an uncomfortable light the polar ends of the spectrum of fortune and misfortune, and the tragedy that ensues from such divides.
Many thanks to the publisher, Canongate, for a review copy of Heather, The Totality via NetGalley
August 9, 2018
Mark en Karen hebben allebei hun jeugdtrama's verwerkt...ze willen allebei een betere ouder zijn voor hun dochter Heather...uiteraard heeft dit weer effect op Heather...uiteindelijk weet Mark Heather te redden...redt Karen hun relatie...eind goed al goed....Het verhaal is saai en voorspelbaar...leest vlot...
November 16, 2017
Interesting novella--sort of a fleshed out storyboard, no dialogue. Mark and Karen marry, have a beautiful daughter they name Heather and live a comfortable, if not totally happy, life in NYC. A young man with a very different kind of background is part of a construction team working on their condo building. Mark starts to worry when he sees the guy eyeing his daughter. Strange ending with a bit of a twist.
Thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for the opportunity to read an arc of this story.
Thanks to NetGalley, the author and publisher for the opportunity to read an arc of this story.
February 28, 2020
No sabía bien con qué me iba a encontrar. Quizá mis expectativas no eran tan altas como las de aquellas personas que puntuaron tan bajo el libro. No los juzgo, creo que si alguien admira mucho a una figura pública, espera mucho de ella. Pero yo no esperaba otra cosas más que entretenerme. Y la verdad es que cumplió su cometido. Es una historia corta, sencilla, pero que le da relevancia al aspecto psicológico de cada personaje. Creo que ese es su fuerte. El tema de la falta de diálogos (otro tema de queja para muchos) me resultó indiferente. A veces no hace falta que los personajes digan de manera explícita lo que les pasa para entenderlos o compatibilizar. Esta nouvelle me mantuvo intrigada de principio a fin, y no puedo pedir más. Recomiendo ampliamente darle una oportunidad.
February 7, 2018
There was just something very noir and compulsive about this slim novel that kept me turning the pages and not wanting to stop. I read a review (a negative one) that pointed out that there was not a single line of dialogue in the entire book. I hadn't even noticed that until I read that review. To this reviewer, the lack of dialogue was unfavorable, however I found that it created a certain mood and rhythm that I really liked. I see that readers are really split on this one, but the more I think about it, the more solid my 4 star rating becomes. So 4 very solid stars are given to Heather from yours truly.
November 11, 2019
Mad Men and Their Women
I've never watched an episode of "Mad Men", so I came to creator Matthew Weiner's novel with no preconceptions other than those generated by the numerous blurbs on the front and back covers (all of which were dutifully supplied by authors or artists whom I otherwise respect).
The novel is a mere 134 pages long. There are usually two to four compact paragraphs per page. The novel reads like a treatment for a film or TV series. Ironically for a film-related project, there is no dialogue at all (the screenplay hadn't been written). We never learn exactly what any character says to another. We simply read a short summary of the thrust of the conversation (a bit like a White House summary of a phone conversation between POTUS and the President of Ukraine). On the other hand, two-way conversation doesn't seem to be a priority for any of the characters. It has little function in their lives. It's just expected that everybody will be or become rich and beautiful (if not necessarily thin - if anything, they over-lunch and over-dine).
None of these qualities is particularly post-modernist or avant-garde. Instead, Weiner has taken the risk that he will be criticised for telling, not showing, which is a legitimate concern. Still, the novel reads well enough, even though it's hard to relate to any of the characters.
Financier versus Worker
There are two alternating narrative threads: one concerns the upper middle class Breakstone family (Mark, his wife, "big-titted" Karen, and "tall, long-legged, narrow-waisted, C-cup" daughter Heather); the other, working class Bobby Klasky, "the Worker", a labourer who is sub-contracted to help refurbish the penthouse in the Breakstones' ten-unit apartment building West of Park Avenue, Manhattan.
Bobby’s mother was a heroin addict, who has since died in a house-fire started by Bobby (which he blamed on her new boyfriend). Skin-headed Bobby himself has already done time for breaking and entering a neighbour's home, although nobody seems to have realised that his motive was to rape his neighbour.
Bobby soon develops an interest in Heather, who towards the end of the novel is a beautiful, smart teenager, with a great body and a nice smile that attracts Bobby and his co-workers on the building site.
Mark, who is in finance (the exact role isn't mentioned), notices Bobby's interest, and defaults to protective mode. Queen Bee Karen (who runs her own public relations business) is oblivious, although she wouldn't object if one of the workers paid her some attention. Despite their material success and comfort (though it never seems to be enough), they're not a particularly happy family.
Bobby "knew that these were the people that went to the movies all the time and ate in restaurants and flew on planes and had pictures of horses on everything."
The Clash of the Vanities
There are two ways this story could play out, and Weiner plays his cards close to his chest, until the last (fifth) chapter. At this point, the novel bears some thematic resemblance to Tom Wolfe's "The Bonfire of the Vanities". The reader has to ask whether such different classes of people should never come into contact with each other. Each finds the other a "deplorable" incursion on their personal and social sphere. You have to wonder what force could mould these characters into one nation under God.
The novel is mercifully short: you can read it in less than a day. The only reason anybody would want to see it made into a film or TV series is a prurient interest in the two female characters (who are more or less described in terms of their cup size).
I've never watched an episode of "Mad Men", so I came to creator Matthew Weiner's novel with no preconceptions other than those generated by the numerous blurbs on the front and back covers (all of which were dutifully supplied by authors or artists whom I otherwise respect).
The novel is a mere 134 pages long. There are usually two to four compact paragraphs per page. The novel reads like a treatment for a film or TV series. Ironically for a film-related project, there is no dialogue at all (the screenplay hadn't been written). We never learn exactly what any character says to another. We simply read a short summary of the thrust of the conversation (a bit like a White House summary of a phone conversation between POTUS and the President of Ukraine). On the other hand, two-way conversation doesn't seem to be a priority for any of the characters. It has little function in their lives. It's just expected that everybody will be or become rich and beautiful (if not necessarily thin - if anything, they over-lunch and over-dine).
None of these qualities is particularly post-modernist or avant-garde. Instead, Weiner has taken the risk that he will be criticised for telling, not showing, which is a legitimate concern. Still, the novel reads well enough, even though it's hard to relate to any of the characters.
Financier versus Worker
There are two alternating narrative threads: one concerns the upper middle class Breakstone family (Mark, his wife, "big-titted" Karen, and "tall, long-legged, narrow-waisted, C-cup" daughter Heather); the other, working class Bobby Klasky, "the Worker", a labourer who is sub-contracted to help refurbish the penthouse in the Breakstones' ten-unit apartment building West of Park Avenue, Manhattan.
Bobby’s mother was a heroin addict, who has since died in a house-fire started by Bobby (which he blamed on her new boyfriend). Skin-headed Bobby himself has already done time for breaking and entering a neighbour's home, although nobody seems to have realised that his motive was to rape his neighbour.
Bobby soon develops an interest in Heather, who towards the end of the novel is a beautiful, smart teenager, with a great body and a nice smile that attracts Bobby and his co-workers on the building site.
Mark, who is in finance (the exact role isn't mentioned), notices Bobby's interest, and defaults to protective mode. Queen Bee Karen (who runs her own public relations business) is oblivious, although she wouldn't object if one of the workers paid her some attention. Despite their material success and comfort (though it never seems to be enough), they're not a particularly happy family.
Bobby "knew that these were the people that went to the movies all the time and ate in restaurants and flew on planes and had pictures of horses on everything."
The Clash of the Vanities
There are two ways this story could play out, and Weiner plays his cards close to his chest, until the last (fifth) chapter. At this point, the novel bears some thematic resemblance to Tom Wolfe's "The Bonfire of the Vanities". The reader has to ask whether such different classes of people should never come into contact with each other. Each finds the other a "deplorable" incursion on their personal and social sphere. You have to wonder what force could mould these characters into one nation under God.
The novel is mercifully short: you can read it in less than a day. The only reason anybody would want to see it made into a film or TV series is a prurient interest in the two female characters (who are more or less described in terms of their cup size).
November 1, 2017
Wow, this is bad! How a writer of the iconic Mad Men and The Sopranos can pen this is a mystery - was he 12 at the time?
With no dialogue (really, NO dialogue), a story that flits through 18 years in a nanosecond, random capitalisations (the Woman, the Trainee, the Father, the Worker), and a completely bonkers 'plot' this feels like a joke read {scratches head in puzzlement}...
With no dialogue (really, NO dialogue), a story that flits through 18 years in a nanosecond, random capitalisations (the Woman, the Trainee, the Father, the Worker), and a completely bonkers 'plot' this feels like a joke read {scratches head in puzzlement}...
February 24, 2021
There's not much to this novella that is written strangely and without dialogue. A quick read. Plus the superficiality & stereotypes that I couldn't really get past. It needed to linger more; it just skims the surface.
A little obvious symbolism having the wife be named Karen.
A little obvious symbolism having the wife be named Karen.
March 14, 2019
I’ve never seen Mad Men so I don’t know what that’s about but judging by what is written in reviews, people seem to love that. This, not so much. It was okay, but it really read like an outline for a tv show about some sad, undeniable truths. 2.5
December 30, 2017
I simply do not know what to make of this strange little story. Author Matthew Weiner was a writer for Mad Men which explains the "darkness hidden inside the American dream" theme that runs throughout the story of the Breakstone family, somewhat schlubby and insecure but loving Mark, his equally insecure wife Karen and their messianic daughter Heather who is so beautiful, kind, and empathetic she draws worshipful admirers wherever she goes almost from the moment of her birth. At least that's what I think the theme is? Honestly by the end I wasn't sure what I was supposed to be taking away.
The darkness that takes over the family takes the form of the bitter jealousy husband and wife secretly harbor toward one another when it comes to their daughter's affection and the increasingly manipulative and petty lengths they each go to in an effort to secure her devotion entirely for themselves.
Which makes the introduction of the fourth player in this odd drama, sociopath and serial killer in the making Bobby, a bit weird.
Bobby's story is told in tandem with Heather's, we follow each of them from birth to the present day though as the son of neglectful junkie Bobby's only path to success is one of petty thievery and when it suits him murder. As Heather matures into a beautiful and accomplished young woman Bobby grows into full blown sociopathy firmly believing that every other person in the world has only been put their for his pleasure. When their path's inevitably cross Bobby is almost overwhelmed by the perfection of Heather and she becomes an all consuming obsession, his ultimate victim.
I just didn't get this. I'm not sure if Heather and Bobby are meant to be soulmates or opposite sides of the same coin or the living embodiment of good and evil or what. Its never entirely clear what exactly is so damn special about Heather, the time we spend in her mind reveals a pretty typical teenage girl who's perhaps a bit more self aware than most but not in a dramatic, jesusesque way that seems destined to change the world. For his part Bobby is your garden variety crazy murderer. He has dark fantasies about Heather that sort of gradually start to transform into literal dreams of a real, good life with her because her perfectness is transforming him into a good person? Or something?
Equally confusing is the relationship between Mark and Karen who are introduced as genuinely good people who've felt like outsiders for a long time and then genuinely fall in love just when both think its too late. To see that get destroyed by the birth of their inexplicably astoundingly perfect daughter is just weird. Like it doesn't make sense. Why would a child born out of genuine love result in the destruction of their marriage? We never get any satisfying answers.
This book read like it was trying desperate to be deeply profound but didn't have an actual message to convey. Is Heather meant to be like the second coming misunderstood by the very people she's come to save? Bobby is literally a violent, rapey murderer when he meets her so he can't exactly become a good person so who cares if Heather is "changing" him (whatever that means). Why does loving their daughter turn Mark and Karen against each other?
I'm not sure if its just that at a rail thin 144 pages Weiner really didn't have a prayer of telling the story he wanted to tell or if there just isn't a story here but despite pretty decent turn of phrase this ends up being a pretentious, nonsensical parable about something but I'll be damned if I know what.
The darkness that takes over the family takes the form of the bitter jealousy husband and wife secretly harbor toward one another when it comes to their daughter's affection and the increasingly manipulative and petty lengths they each go to in an effort to secure her devotion entirely for themselves.
Which makes the introduction of the fourth player in this odd drama, sociopath and serial killer in the making Bobby, a bit weird.
Bobby's story is told in tandem with Heather's, we follow each of them from birth to the present day though as the son of neglectful junkie Bobby's only path to success is one of petty thievery and when it suits him murder. As Heather matures into a beautiful and accomplished young woman Bobby grows into full blown sociopathy firmly believing that every other person in the world has only been put their for his pleasure. When their path's inevitably cross Bobby is almost overwhelmed by the perfection of Heather and she becomes an all consuming obsession, his ultimate victim.
I just didn't get this. I'm not sure if Heather and Bobby are meant to be soulmates or opposite sides of the same coin or the living embodiment of good and evil or what. Its never entirely clear what exactly is so damn special about Heather, the time we spend in her mind reveals a pretty typical teenage girl who's perhaps a bit more self aware than most but not in a dramatic, jesusesque way that seems destined to change the world. For his part Bobby is your garden variety crazy murderer. He has dark fantasies about Heather that sort of gradually start to transform into literal dreams of a real, good life with her because her perfectness is transforming him into a good person? Or something?
Equally confusing is the relationship between Mark and Karen who are introduced as genuinely good people who've felt like outsiders for a long time and then genuinely fall in love just when both think its too late. To see that get destroyed by the birth of their inexplicably astoundingly perfect daughter is just weird. Like it doesn't make sense. Why would a child born out of genuine love result in the destruction of their marriage? We never get any satisfying answers.
This book read like it was trying desperate to be deeply profound but didn't have an actual message to convey. Is Heather meant to be like the second coming misunderstood by the very people she's come to save? Bobby is literally a violent, rapey murderer when he meets her so he can't exactly become a good person so who cares if Heather is "changing" him (whatever that means). Why does loving their daughter turn Mark and Karen against each other?
I'm not sure if its just that at a rail thin 144 pages Weiner really didn't have a prayer of telling the story he wanted to tell or if there just isn't a story here but despite pretty decent turn of phrase this ends up being a pretentious, nonsensical parable about something but I'll be damned if I know what.
November 26, 2017
Das war eine sehr positiv überraschende, kurzweilige Lektüre, auch deshalb weil Weiner (bekannt als Schöpfer von Serien wie „Mad Men“) sich kurzfasst. Gerade mal 130 Seiten umfasst diese Geschichte.
Und an Erzählweisen von Filmen und Serien fühlte ich mich beim Lesen dieser spannenden Geschichte in der Tat erinnert. Der Wechsel zwischen den Perspektiven des vermeintlichen Täters und den vermeintlichen Opfern treibt die Handlung voran. Da ist der brutale Kerl aus einem schlechten Viertel New Jerseys mit noch schlechterem familiärem Backgrund; und auf der anderen Seite eine sehr wohlhabende, aber (zumindest in ihren Augen) nicht wirklich reiche Kleinfamilie mit ihren (lächerlichen) Reichen-Problemen.
Das Ganze läuft von Beginn an auf eine Tragödie zu, man zittert mit den Figuren, insbesondere der Tochter des Paares, Heather. Dass neben der Thriller-Handlung den Figuren zugestanden wird, dass sie sich entwickeln, Haltungen ändern und, obwohl sie typisch für ihr Milieu erscheinen, nicht zu reinen Klischees verkommen, macht die Qualität des Erzählens aus.
Das Ende hat mich zudem überrascht, was will man mehr.
Und an Erzählweisen von Filmen und Serien fühlte ich mich beim Lesen dieser spannenden Geschichte in der Tat erinnert. Der Wechsel zwischen den Perspektiven des vermeintlichen Täters und den vermeintlichen Opfern treibt die Handlung voran. Da ist der brutale Kerl aus einem schlechten Viertel New Jerseys mit noch schlechterem familiärem Backgrund; und auf der anderen Seite eine sehr wohlhabende, aber (zumindest in ihren Augen) nicht wirklich reiche Kleinfamilie mit ihren (lächerlichen) Reichen-Problemen.
Das Ganze läuft von Beginn an auf eine Tragödie zu, man zittert mit den Figuren, insbesondere der Tochter des Paares, Heather. Dass neben der Thriller-Handlung den Figuren zugestanden wird, dass sie sich entwickeln, Haltungen ändern und, obwohl sie typisch für ihr Milieu erscheinen, nicht zu reinen Klischees verkommen, macht die Qualität des Erzählens aus.
Das Ende hat mich zudem überrascht, was will man mehr.
December 28, 2019
Premessa da chiarire ai potenziali lettori/lettrici di questo libro: Heather, più di tutto non è un romanzo: è una novella, un racconto lungo. L’edizione ebook ha 65 pagine di testo (poi sapete che la pagina ebook contiene in media più battute di quella cartacea). Se pensate di acquistarlo tenetene conto, visto che l’ebook costa 9 euro e il cartaceo costa addirittura 17 euro.
Ciò detto, l’altra premessa è che probabilmente saprete già tutti chi sia Matthew Weiner, ovvero il creatore di Mad Men, una delle serie televisive meglio scritte degli ultimi 15 anni. Quindi Weiner è sì un comprovato ottimo scrittore, ma non uno scrittore di letteratura, almeno fino a ora.
Com’è questo racconto, allora? Ben scritto, la prosa è piacevole, non particolarmente originale: si mantiene su toni cinico-blasé nel raccontare la storia di una famiglia altoborghese (ovviamente residente a Manhattan) in rotta di collisione con un personaggio proveniente da un mondo diverso dal loro. L’arco che riguarda la figlia Heather e la madre Karen assomiglia in quasi tutti i dettagli alla dinamica che Weiner aveva già delineato in Mad Men tra Betty Draper e la figlia Sally.
La struttura del racconto è interessante, progettata per ingabbiare il lettore e farsi leggere fino in fondo con un meccanismo thriller: il narratore onnisciente sposta la focalizzazione di personaggio in personaggio ogni 2-3 pagine, svelando altarini e introducendo il villain della situazione senza che questo personaggio sia collegato in alcun modo ai protagonisti. Così facendo, Weiner genera un senso di anticipazione che fa presupporre uno sviluppo sinistro dell’azione.
Cosa non va? I personaggi sono tutti stereotipati secondo tipizzazioni ormai stantie. Non solo tutto si è già visto e letto altrove, in ogni salsa possibile e con maggiori gradi di profondità; quando si arriva alla fine del brevissimo testo, aleggia lo scomodo punto di domanda di quell’e quindi? che ogni scrittore e scrittrice vorrebbe evitare.
SPOILER ALERT
Come hanno fatto notare altre persone, c’è qualcosa di disturbante nel modo in cui Weiner ha deciso di impostare le focalizzazioni dei punti di vista. Il problema converge sul personaggio del cattivo, Bobby: è un potenziale serial killer da manuale, violento, pieno di idee malate, una storia di formazione terribile e già autore di un duplice omicidio. Weiner usa il suo punto di vista per farci sapere le cose terribili che fa, in modo da tenere alta la tensione per tutto il racconto, facendo percepire chiaramente al lettore che Bobby prima o poi incontrerà Heather. Il problema è che la storia di conclude con l’assassinio di Bobby, che all’atto pratico non ha fatto nulla a parte guardare la ragazza con insistenza. Il padre di Heather è sicuro che Bobby sia un mostro, lo sa istintivamente. Lo uccide buttandolo da una finestra. L’episodio viene archiviato come incidente sul lavoro. Fine.
La cosa disturbante è che se togliamo il punto di vista di Bobby dalla vicenda, abbiamo una storia completamente diversa, in cui il mostro è il padre di Heather, paranoico, pazzo, possessivo, che butta un operaio dalla finestra perché ha guardato sua figlia. Il POV di Bobby ha quindi una doppia funzione: è l’artificio che aggancia il lettore al testo creando suspense, ma è anche la giustificazione per l’azione terrificante del padre di Heather. Il lettore ha delle informazioni che quel personaggio non ha, ma la storia è raccontata in modo da sovrapporre il lettore informato al personaggio che non lo è, in modo smaccatamente manipolatorio. Le informazioni che ci ha dato il narratore spiegano l’azione omicida del padre di Heather, la situazione ovviamente no.
Potrebbe essere quello lo spunto interessante, quasi un punto di partenza per un romanzo (oppure no, Delitto e castigo è già stato letto, rivisitato e metabolizzato abbondantemente), invece il racconto finisce lì, senza sviscerare la questione pruriginosa, facendo anzi finta che una questione non esista neanche.
FINE SPOILER
Una buona lettura per un viaggio in treno (breve, mi raccomando), ma niente più di questo. E se potete, evitate di pagarlo, perché è davvero sovrapprezzato.
Ciò detto, l’altra premessa è che probabilmente saprete già tutti chi sia Matthew Weiner, ovvero il creatore di Mad Men, una delle serie televisive meglio scritte degli ultimi 15 anni. Quindi Weiner è sì un comprovato ottimo scrittore, ma non uno scrittore di letteratura, almeno fino a ora.
Com’è questo racconto, allora? Ben scritto, la prosa è piacevole, non particolarmente originale: si mantiene su toni cinico-blasé nel raccontare la storia di una famiglia altoborghese (ovviamente residente a Manhattan) in rotta di collisione con un personaggio proveniente da un mondo diverso dal loro. L’arco che riguarda la figlia Heather e la madre Karen assomiglia in quasi tutti i dettagli alla dinamica che Weiner aveva già delineato in Mad Men tra Betty Draper e la figlia Sally.
La struttura del racconto è interessante, progettata per ingabbiare il lettore e farsi leggere fino in fondo con un meccanismo thriller: il narratore onnisciente sposta la focalizzazione di personaggio in personaggio ogni 2-3 pagine, svelando altarini e introducendo il villain della situazione senza che questo personaggio sia collegato in alcun modo ai protagonisti. Così facendo, Weiner genera un senso di anticipazione che fa presupporre uno sviluppo sinistro dell’azione.
Cosa non va? I personaggi sono tutti stereotipati secondo tipizzazioni ormai stantie. Non solo tutto si è già visto e letto altrove, in ogni salsa possibile e con maggiori gradi di profondità; quando si arriva alla fine del brevissimo testo, aleggia lo scomodo punto di domanda di quell’e quindi? che ogni scrittore e scrittrice vorrebbe evitare.
SPOILER ALERT
Come hanno fatto notare altre persone, c’è qualcosa di disturbante nel modo in cui Weiner ha deciso di impostare le focalizzazioni dei punti di vista. Il problema converge sul personaggio del cattivo, Bobby: è un potenziale serial killer da manuale, violento, pieno di idee malate, una storia di formazione terribile e già autore di un duplice omicidio. Weiner usa il suo punto di vista per farci sapere le cose terribili che fa, in modo da tenere alta la tensione per tutto il racconto, facendo percepire chiaramente al lettore che Bobby prima o poi incontrerà Heather. Il problema è che la storia di conclude con l’assassinio di Bobby, che all’atto pratico non ha fatto nulla a parte guardare la ragazza con insistenza. Il padre di Heather è sicuro che Bobby sia un mostro, lo sa istintivamente. Lo uccide buttandolo da una finestra. L’episodio viene archiviato come incidente sul lavoro. Fine.
La cosa disturbante è che se togliamo il punto di vista di Bobby dalla vicenda, abbiamo una storia completamente diversa, in cui il mostro è il padre di Heather, paranoico, pazzo, possessivo, che butta un operaio dalla finestra perché ha guardato sua figlia. Il POV di Bobby ha quindi una doppia funzione: è l’artificio che aggancia il lettore al testo creando suspense, ma è anche la giustificazione per l’azione terrificante del padre di Heather. Il lettore ha delle informazioni che quel personaggio non ha, ma la storia è raccontata in modo da sovrapporre il lettore informato al personaggio che non lo è, in modo smaccatamente manipolatorio. Le informazioni che ci ha dato il narratore spiegano l’azione omicida del padre di Heather, la situazione ovviamente no.
Potrebbe essere quello lo spunto interessante, quasi un punto di partenza per un romanzo (oppure no, Delitto e castigo è già stato letto, rivisitato e metabolizzato abbondantemente), invece il racconto finisce lì, senza sviscerare la questione pruriginosa, facendo anzi finta che una questione non esista neanche.
FINE SPOILER
Una buona lettura per un viaggio in treno (breve, mi raccomando), ma niente più di questo. E se potete, evitate di pagarlo, perché è davvero sovrapprezzato.
Read
August 16, 2022Matthew Weiner is the creator of Mad Men and this book is his debut. It's almost a stretch to call it a novel because it's so short. It's more like a long short story or a novella.
There's not a lot to tell about the plot without ruining it, which is probably why the description here simply reads it's the tale of a family and a psychopath. True, but it's also a story about obsession and parental love.
There's not a lot to tell about the plot without ruining it, which is probably why the description here simply reads it's the tale of a family and a psychopath. True, but it's also a story about obsession and parental love.
January 19, 2024
This gave me Lapvona vibes except this was much much worse
If you like books with no plot, you'll probably love this
If you like books with no plot, you'll probably love this
November 5, 2017
See more of my reviews at www.BugBugBooks.com.
Heather is the glowing center of the Breakstone family. She's beautiful and magnetic, worshipped by all, especially her parents, Mark and Karen. To outsiders, their family seems perfect---rich, successful, happy---but, in reality, Mark is plagued by insecurity, Karen is deeply lonely, and their family life is suffering. As a result, Heather feels simultaneously neglected and smothered by her parents, and is irritated by their inability to provide a more balanced and stable version of love.
Bobby Klasky is having some issues of his own. After being released from prison, he's just trying to survive---working odd jobs to make enough money to eat and move out of his drug addict mother's trailer. He's doing okay for himself, but he's not mentally stable. In truth, he thinks people are disgusting, and he would really love to torture them and rape them and kill them until they're all dead---starting with the most beautiful person first.
If you think you know where this story is going, well, you probably do. Heather, the Totality is a predictable, expected, one-dimensional book that offers up nothing new in the way of character development, plot, or general insight. We've all read this has-been story a million times before---and, what's worse, there are better versions out there.
What bugs me most, though, are the women in this story. They are so unbelievable and cliche. Karen, as a mother, is all wrong. I know many, many mothers (good ones and really bad ones, too), and I've never met a woman with such little personality or dimension. And Heather...good grief. She is the nymph from a cheesy porno: gorgeous and innocent, yet damaged, naughty, and, gasp, so willing. Ugh.
In other words, you're going to want to skip this one. I know, I know, but it's Matthew Weiner! It's Mad Men, for crying out loud! Believe me, I feel the disappointment, too. But unfortunately, this little novel is no good. It's just no good. Do yourself a solid and let it pass you by.
ARC provided through Net Galley.
Heather is the glowing center of the Breakstone family. She's beautiful and magnetic, worshipped by all, especially her parents, Mark and Karen. To outsiders, their family seems perfect---rich, successful, happy---but, in reality, Mark is plagued by insecurity, Karen is deeply lonely, and their family life is suffering. As a result, Heather feels simultaneously neglected and smothered by her parents, and is irritated by their inability to provide a more balanced and stable version of love.
Bobby Klasky is having some issues of his own. After being released from prison, he's just trying to survive---working odd jobs to make enough money to eat and move out of his drug addict mother's trailer. He's doing okay for himself, but he's not mentally stable. In truth, he thinks people are disgusting, and he would really love to torture them and rape them and kill them until they're all dead---starting with the most beautiful person first.
If you think you know where this story is going, well, you probably do. Heather, the Totality is a predictable, expected, one-dimensional book that offers up nothing new in the way of character development, plot, or general insight. We've all read this has-been story a million times before---and, what's worse, there are better versions out there.
What bugs me most, though, are the women in this story. They are so unbelievable and cliche. Karen, as a mother, is all wrong. I know many, many mothers (good ones and really bad ones, too), and I've never met a woman with such little personality or dimension. And Heather...good grief. She is the nymph from a cheesy porno: gorgeous and innocent, yet damaged, naughty, and, gasp, so willing. Ugh.
In other words, you're going to want to skip this one. I know, I know, but it's Matthew Weiner! It's Mad Men, for crying out loud! Believe me, I feel the disappointment, too. But unfortunately, this little novel is no good. It's just no good. Do yourself a solid and let it pass you by.
ARC provided through Net Galley.
January 3, 2018
HEATHER, THE TOTALITY by Matthew Weiner - Thank you so much to Little Brown for providing my free copy - all opinions are my own.
“She was radiant with life, even when she was alone, or thought she was.”
My Review:
Mark and Karen Breakstone met and married at age 40 so when they had a daughter, Heather, she became the center of their universe. They live in an upscale neighborhood and appear to have it all. As Heather grows up, things start to shift and her relationship with her parents changes.
In a parallel storyline, Bobby Klasky is introduced. His life is absolutely nothing like Heather’s, as he lives in a rough neighborhood with an addict mother and finds trouble easily. When he crosses paths with the Breakstone family, terrible problems ensue.
This is one of the shortest books I’ve read but it had a quite an impact. I enjoyed the writing style and found it dark and intense. The entire time I was reading it I was trying to figure out where the story would go. How will it end? Luckily, I didn’t have too much time to think about it. But once I finished, I couldn’t stop thinking about it.
“She was radiant with life, even when she was alone, or thought she was.”
My Review:
Mark and Karen Breakstone met and married at age 40 so when they had a daughter, Heather, she became the center of their universe. They live in an upscale neighborhood and appear to have it all. As Heather grows up, things start to shift and her relationship with her parents changes.
In a parallel storyline, Bobby Klasky is introduced. His life is absolutely nothing like Heather’s, as he lives in a rough neighborhood with an addict mother and finds trouble easily. When he crosses paths with the Breakstone family, terrible problems ensue.
This is one of the shortest books I’ve read but it had a quite an impact. I enjoyed the writing style and found it dark and intense. The entire time I was reading it I was trying to figure out where the story would go. How will it end? Luckily, I didn’t have too much time to think about it. But once I finished, I couldn’t stop thinking about it.
November 3, 2017
As everyone knows who has read this blog or seen me talk at conferences about The Sopranos, etc., I've long admired Matthew Weiner's work on both The Sopranos and Mad Men, and indeed consider it to be at the very apex of television. I was thus more than pleased to get a slightly-advance copy of Weiner's first novel (due to be published November 7) late yesterday, and read it one-and-a-half sittings (a little in the wee hours of the morning, the rest just this afternoon). It's only 134 short pages, but it's so compelling I'm sure I would have read all of it in that time, anyway, had it been twice as long.
It didn't need to be. Weiner's novel is exceptional, very much a slice of life in New York at this moment, and very different in style and pacing at the same time. There's only one line of true dialogue, and it's a bombshell. The descriptive passages are reminiscent of both Dickens and Salinger. And the story rings true on all kinds of levels.
[review continues here http://paullevinson.blogspot.com/2017... ]
It didn't need to be. Weiner's novel is exceptional, very much a slice of life in New York at this moment, and very different in style and pacing at the same time. There's only one line of true dialogue, and it's a bombshell. The descriptive passages are reminiscent of both Dickens and Salinger. And the story rings true on all kinds of levels.
[review continues here http://paullevinson.blogspot.com/2017... ]
May 1, 2024
Matthew Weiner, sceneggiatore di Mad Men e de I Romanoff, ha scritto un romanzo breve im Heather prima di tutto i Breakstone sono una coppia di ricchi newyorkesi che hanno messo al centro delle loro esistenze la figlia Heather, coccolata e adorata come fosse il sole che scalda il loro mondo. E, mentre la ragazza sembra irradiare luce propria, nella stessa città nasce e cresce nel buio, Bobby. Figlio di una madre tossicodipendente, sociopatico, violento ed estremamente intelligente non potrebbe essere più distante dalla fragile Heather, ma proprio l’ineluttabile avvicinamento tra i due universi e l’implicita promessa di violenza, animano una storia dal ritmo inarrestabile, in cui la tensione monta fino all’ultima pagina, fino a un tragico e spiazzante finale. Un romanzo brevissimo e perfetto in cui ogni singola parola sembra essere al posto giusto.
April 6, 2017
Dark. Really, really dark but gripping at the same time. Especially for it's brevity. I love Matthew Weiner and everything he does.
February 19, 2018
This is a short but effective novella; a solid foray into fiction by Matthew Weiner, of Mad Men fame. This novella is blunt and affectless in the way it contrasts privilege and the absence of it. It’s certainly a story of two world colliding. Tension is built effectively, quickly yet steadily throughout. Weiner is scathing in his critique of the pursuit of perfection, the facades we make for our lives, and the culture of competitive comparison that rules so many of our social interactions. What I found most interesting, was the portrait of familial relationships, and the isolation we each feel within ourselves, even when such closeness exists. An excellent Sunday afternoon read.
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