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The Original Face
Twenty-nine-year-old Daniel is an under-employed internet artist who's struggling as much with money and inspiration as he is in his relationship with Grace. Against a backdrop of a digital economy that rewards online platforms instead of content creators, with climate-change anxiety hanging palpably in the air, the resolutely contemporary Morissette immerses readers into a vagabond year of modern love, as Daniel and Grace navigate their aspirations, insecurities and ambitions amidst a culture obsessed with the instantaneous satisfaction of selfies and self-identity.
The Original Face is a fresh and imaginative critical examination of work and life in the 21st century by the author of the cultishly popular New Tab, a finalist for the 2015 Amazon.ca First Novel Award, and the 2014 Hugh MacLennan Prize for Fiction.
The Original Face is a fresh and imaginative critical examination of work and life in the 21st century by the author of the cultishly popular New Tab, a finalist for the 2015 Amazon.ca First Novel Award, and the 2014 Hugh MacLennan Prize for Fiction.
231 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2017
3 people are currently reading
375 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
March 10, 2018
A few quotes
"It was hot and sunny outside. The air-conditioned Starbucks, in comparison, seemed weatherless…" (11)
“Facebook should be reclassified as a public park.” (140)
“I almost wanted to ask you to do the Heimlich maneuver on my eye.” (144)
“I am not sure why anyone would want to watch Ben Affleck be happy for Christmas." (147)
"Sometimes it’s almost like I am surprised that I exist.” (153)
“I just want to find a better balance between safety and risk." (215)
If Voldemort only had a Pomeranian.
“The entire plot of Harry Potter would have been prevented by getting Voldemort a Pomeranian." (not sure the page number of this, but when I first read it I imagined making a series of photoshop images with evildoers being 'cured' by Pomeranians. For now I'm sticking with Voldy and Pom.)
Quote from gr reviewer Irene's review
"Daniel, a freelance web designer and new media artist, is in an artistic rut when we first meet him...This novel follows a year in Daniel's life as he navigates the gig economy. Don't believe me? Check the back of the book. It literally says that. Daniel is also in a relationship with Grace. Grace is not an artist but she hangs out with artists. She waitresses as she is working on finishing prep courses in order to apply and get into physical therapy. These two are not a match made in heaven but they are nice and lonely and their mutual insecurities align well together (he sometimes wants to feel "normal" and "part of society" while she has never found a "nice guy"). The novel begins when Daniel is about to make the decision to move to Toronto, on an impulse but also on a desire to grow as an artist in a bigger pond."
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Quote form the first few pages of the book:
The future, as usual, seemed dark. I was a “freelance web designer,” which sounded okay, but essentially meant “70% unemployed.” I was also a “new media artist” making conceptual videos that I shared online or presented at exhibits, which was only vaguely getting me anywhere. I had spent the past few months feeling deeply uninspired, unable to come up with anything, not even a simple tweet, just passively staring at my computer screen like it was some sort of hypnotic lawn ornament.
Trying to create art videos was now a source of anxiety, as opposed to an outlet for it.
Because of this, procrastinating on my own work by aimlessly browsing the internet felt more calming than usual, like a meditation retreat. I wasn’t sure where all my usual creative thoughts had gone, if they had escaped my skull like feral animals into the night and were now somewhere else in the world, moving around in packs, rampaging in suburban yards maybe, or if I had just exhausted every possible thought I could have as this person, in this environment. “Creative dry spell,” I thought.
(see Medium online mag for the full excerpt)
***
And now me writing a bit of a review...
I picked up this book because my roommate knows the author and lent me his copy. I started laughing before I even got the the first page of the book, because Morissette wrote a funny little inscription.
From the start, I was drawn to the humor. I wish I could do a fair job of communication the joyfulness of the absurd conversations and narratorial thoughts. It's a quiet, perhaps even reserved joyfulness. A somewhat depressed and depressive joyfulness. But still, I enjoyed the narrative voice and I learned some interesting stuff from the book. I learned about the idea of the original face and learned of glitch art (which I knew nothing of, and which I am now intrigued by) and, thanks to a reference in the book, I started watching the John Berger "Ways of Seeing" videos on youtube. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ways_of...
I also appreciate the relationship dynamics unfolding here. More about that in a sec.
Daniel's story isn't a new one. He is a struggling white thirty-year-old artist trying to find his way in the world, being quirky and witty with his friends, sharing disappointment, surprise, despair, etc., and sometimes dealing with all of this in isolation. Feeling exhausted and alone. He can often be found taking in the machinery of his absurd cultural surroundings (or the cultural oceans in which he is treading water, watching human life, trying to stay a little bit afloat) and offering up his 'outsider' observations as he tries to figure out how to make ends at least a little bit meet while living a life that is meaningful to him.
Meanwhile, he's trying to have a romantic relationship with someone who wants him to be more conventionally successful (or, at least, to have a steady paying job), less consistently judgmental, and more consistently social.
I can see why some people are frustrated by this book. At times I was a bit annoyed with the narrator. But for the most part, I could relate to his struggles. His problems are neither specific to artists nor to white cis men, though the privilege of being a cis white guy surely adds a certain amount of entitlement that affects his outlook and experience. I think it's fair to say this is a book with a narrator who isn't always likable. But he's funny. And complex.
The questions this book poses I find to be quite meaningful: How do we deal with an economy in which so many jobs alienate us from our basic human impulses and needs (to learn, to create, to gain insight and understanding, to have playful and meaningful interactions.)
And how do those people who are deeply driven to focus on their art, but don't have the financial means to make it their life work, deal? Particularly in a cultural moment in which art has, or seems to have, little cultural meaning (partly because of the proliferation of material on the internet, and partly because artist's are under- appreciated, and rarely supported by their communities.) Most of the opportunities Daniel finds to make money involve mind-numbing, stressfully repetitive work. And he has little hope of making money as an artist as it seems that those digital "artists" most likely to find financial backing are those who make an art of getting media attention and profiting off of it.
Well, of course, many people find ways of dealing with the fact of having to work mind-numbing, soul-crushing, as well as dangerous, miserable, horrid jobs. I wish no one had to to this, no matter who they are or where they come from or whether or not they are artists. I wish we lived in a world in which the machinery of production and consumption wasn't so destructive and malevolent and in which work made sense and was manageable and could become an integral and meaningful part of our daily lives. (I will refrain here from a long theoretical discussion on the subject.)
It's interesting that Grace, Daniel's girlfriend, is waiting tables and working on becoming a physical therapist. She is finding ways to be a "responsible adult"--has settled on a line of work that she feels comfortable with--that she thinks she will find meaning in or at least be able to tolerate--and is doing what she must to work toward making a career of it. It is easy to see her as the adult and Daniel as a sort of spoiled child in the relationship.
On the other hand, Grace is unable to accept Daniel for who he is. Unable to let him be non-social when he can't deal with sociableness. She wants him to spend money going out to restaurants and becomes resentful when he doesn't want to. As if spending money on restaurant meals is a prerequisite for being a good partner.
Their dynamic makes a lot of sense to me. I can relate to the conflict that happens when two people are in very different social and emotional places, and one person is wanting their loved one to change to meet certain cultural and relational needs. It's not as if Daniel wasn't clear from the start about who he is and what he wants and what his priorities are. I guess Grace puts up with his "struggling countercultural artist" persona in the beginning, but becomes more and more frustrated with their differences (different values and different life goals) as time goes on. In Daniel's defense, I don't think he's just putting on airs. It seems he is someone who genuinely needs a lot of non-social time and to whom being an artist is of utmost importance. In any case, I think Morissette did a really nice job of building tension gradually in their relationship, showing the care they had for each other, but also Grace's slowly growing disappointment and frustration.
So, all in all, I think this book is a worthwhile read. It's short. It's smart. It's funny. It's angry. It addresses social and relational dynamics that I think a lot of people struggle with. (I mean, who of us hasn't thought now and again, “I hope global warming wipes out the entire fucking internet.”?) It's a bit of a contemporary very interior picaresque though the relationship between Daniel and Grace acts as a bit of a more conventional narrative arc. And it inspired me to make pictures of Voldemort with fluffy dogs!
I feel like I'm missing a satisfying ending here. Hmmm. The end?
"It was hot and sunny outside. The air-conditioned Starbucks, in comparison, seemed weatherless…" (11)
“Facebook should be reclassified as a public park.” (140)
“I almost wanted to ask you to do the Heimlich maneuver on my eye.” (144)
“I am not sure why anyone would want to watch Ben Affleck be happy for Christmas." (147)
"Sometimes it’s almost like I am surprised that I exist.” (153)
“I just want to find a better balance between safety and risk." (215)
If Voldemort only had a Pomeranian.
“The entire plot of Harry Potter would have been prevented by getting Voldemort a Pomeranian." (not sure the page number of this, but when I first read it I imagined making a series of photoshop images with evildoers being 'cured' by Pomeranians. For now I'm sticking with Voldy and Pom.)
Quote from gr reviewer Irene's review
"Daniel, a freelance web designer and new media artist, is in an artistic rut when we first meet him...This novel follows a year in Daniel's life as he navigates the gig economy. Don't believe me? Check the back of the book. It literally says that. Daniel is also in a relationship with Grace. Grace is not an artist but she hangs out with artists. She waitresses as she is working on finishing prep courses in order to apply and get into physical therapy. These two are not a match made in heaven but they are nice and lonely and their mutual insecurities align well together (he sometimes wants to feel "normal" and "part of society" while she has never found a "nice guy"). The novel begins when Daniel is about to make the decision to move to Toronto, on an impulse but also on a desire to grow as an artist in a bigger pond."
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Quote form the first few pages of the book:
The future, as usual, seemed dark. I was a “freelance web designer,” which sounded okay, but essentially meant “70% unemployed.” I was also a “new media artist” making conceptual videos that I shared online or presented at exhibits, which was only vaguely getting me anywhere. I had spent the past few months feeling deeply uninspired, unable to come up with anything, not even a simple tweet, just passively staring at my computer screen like it was some sort of hypnotic lawn ornament.
Trying to create art videos was now a source of anxiety, as opposed to an outlet for it.
Because of this, procrastinating on my own work by aimlessly browsing the internet felt more calming than usual, like a meditation retreat. I wasn’t sure where all my usual creative thoughts had gone, if they had escaped my skull like feral animals into the night and were now somewhere else in the world, moving around in packs, rampaging in suburban yards maybe, or if I had just exhausted every possible thought I could have as this person, in this environment. “Creative dry spell,” I thought.
(see Medium online mag for the full excerpt)
***
And now me writing a bit of a review...
I picked up this book because my roommate knows the author and lent me his copy. I started laughing before I even got the the first page of the book, because Morissette wrote a funny little inscription.
From the start, I was drawn to the humor. I wish I could do a fair job of communication the joyfulness of the absurd conversations and narratorial thoughts. It's a quiet, perhaps even reserved joyfulness. A somewhat depressed and depressive joyfulness. But still, I enjoyed the narrative voice and I learned some interesting stuff from the book. I learned about the idea of the original face and learned of glitch art (which I knew nothing of, and which I am now intrigued by) and, thanks to a reference in the book, I started watching the John Berger "Ways of Seeing" videos on youtube. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ways_of...
I also appreciate the relationship dynamics unfolding here. More about that in a sec.
Daniel's story isn't a new one. He is a struggling white thirty-year-old artist trying to find his way in the world, being quirky and witty with his friends, sharing disappointment, surprise, despair, etc., and sometimes dealing with all of this in isolation. Feeling exhausted and alone. He can often be found taking in the machinery of his absurd cultural surroundings (or the cultural oceans in which he is treading water, watching human life, trying to stay a little bit afloat) and offering up his 'outsider' observations as he tries to figure out how to make ends at least a little bit meet while living a life that is meaningful to him.
Meanwhile, he's trying to have a romantic relationship with someone who wants him to be more conventionally successful (or, at least, to have a steady paying job), less consistently judgmental, and more consistently social.
I can see why some people are frustrated by this book. At times I was a bit annoyed with the narrator. But for the most part, I could relate to his struggles. His problems are neither specific to artists nor to white cis men, though the privilege of being a cis white guy surely adds a certain amount of entitlement that affects his outlook and experience. I think it's fair to say this is a book with a narrator who isn't always likable. But he's funny. And complex.
The questions this book poses I find to be quite meaningful: How do we deal with an economy in which so many jobs alienate us from our basic human impulses and needs (to learn, to create, to gain insight and understanding, to have playful and meaningful interactions.)
And how do those people who are deeply driven to focus on their art, but don't have the financial means to make it their life work, deal? Particularly in a cultural moment in which art has, or seems to have, little cultural meaning (partly because of the proliferation of material on the internet, and partly because artist's are under- appreciated, and rarely supported by their communities.) Most of the opportunities Daniel finds to make money involve mind-numbing, stressfully repetitive work. And he has little hope of making money as an artist as it seems that those digital "artists" most likely to find financial backing are those who make an art of getting media attention and profiting off of it.
Well, of course, many people find ways of dealing with the fact of having to work mind-numbing, soul-crushing, as well as dangerous, miserable, horrid jobs. I wish no one had to to this, no matter who they are or where they come from or whether or not they are artists. I wish we lived in a world in which the machinery of production and consumption wasn't so destructive and malevolent and in which work made sense and was manageable and could become an integral and meaningful part of our daily lives. (I will refrain here from a long theoretical discussion on the subject.)
It's interesting that Grace, Daniel's girlfriend, is waiting tables and working on becoming a physical therapist. She is finding ways to be a "responsible adult"--has settled on a line of work that she feels comfortable with--that she thinks she will find meaning in or at least be able to tolerate--and is doing what she must to work toward making a career of it. It is easy to see her as the adult and Daniel as a sort of spoiled child in the relationship.
On the other hand, Grace is unable to accept Daniel for who he is. Unable to let him be non-social when he can't deal with sociableness. She wants him to spend money going out to restaurants and becomes resentful when he doesn't want to. As if spending money on restaurant meals is a prerequisite for being a good partner.
Their dynamic makes a lot of sense to me. I can relate to the conflict that happens when two people are in very different social and emotional places, and one person is wanting their loved one to change to meet certain cultural and relational needs. It's not as if Daniel wasn't clear from the start about who he is and what he wants and what his priorities are. I guess Grace puts up with his "struggling countercultural artist" persona in the beginning, but becomes more and more frustrated with their differences (different values and different life goals) as time goes on. In Daniel's defense, I don't think he's just putting on airs. It seems he is someone who genuinely needs a lot of non-social time and to whom being an artist is of utmost importance. In any case, I think Morissette did a really nice job of building tension gradually in their relationship, showing the care they had for each other, but also Grace's slowly growing disappointment and frustration.
So, all in all, I think this book is a worthwhile read. It's short. It's smart. It's funny. It's angry. It addresses social and relational dynamics that I think a lot of people struggle with. (I mean, who of us hasn't thought now and again, “I hope global warming wipes out the entire fucking internet.”?) It's a bit of a contemporary very interior picaresque though the relationship between Daniel and Grace acts as a bit of a more conventional narrative arc. And it inspired me to make pictures of Voldemort with fluffy dogs!
I feel like I'm missing a satisfying ending here. Hmmm. The end?
October 19, 2017
Eh ben, un roman d'amour, qui l'eut cru?
Je pense que ça pourrait déplaire à certaines personnes, mais personnellement j'ai aimé que Daniel et Thomas (le narrateur de New Tab) soient pratiquement la même personne. Plusieurs "pensées/phrases/vers" de Daniel pourraient être attribuées au Thomas du livre précédent et vice-versa, la structure narrative est pratiquement la même (à part les séparations de chapitres), ils expriment des angoisses et des opinions similaires. The Original Face, en ce sens, est à lire comme un "companion piece", la deuxième face d'un diptyque. J'imagine qu'un triptyque ça commencerait à être un peu intense, mais on verra quelle direction l'écriture prendra.
Il y a sans aucun doute une tension intéressante à l'oeuvre ici. Alors que le personnage de Daniel refuse d'abandonner une certaine image de lui-même qu'il s'est forgé au fil des ans, ses présupposés (ou leur absence) entrent en conflit avec ceux de son amoureuse. On sent venir le clash, mais l'affaire est bien menée. Avec le personnage de Grace, de loin le plus incarné qu'il ait créé jusqu'à maintenant, j'ai l'impression que Morissette cherche à s'engager sur une voie inédite, pas nécessairement celle de la convention et de la banalité, mais celle de la reconnaissance de la complexité des identités personnelles.
Valeurs sûres:
-Internet/présence en ligne
-Bière cheap.
-Aderrall.
-Champignons magiques.
-Déclarations cyniques/romantiques
-Remises en question
-Narcissisme
-Animaux de compagnie
-Le français à Montréal comme angoisse existentielle/semi-nuisance.
Nouveautés:
-"I love you."
-Voyages et découvertes géographiques.
-Personnages "ordinaires" non jugés (ex. Nan).
-Soirée Meurtre et Mystère.
-Sexe non malaisant.
-Engueulades sincères.
-"Party hiatus."
Je pense que ça pourrait déplaire à certaines personnes, mais personnellement j'ai aimé que Daniel et Thomas (le narrateur de New Tab) soient pratiquement la même personne. Plusieurs "pensées/phrases/vers" de Daniel pourraient être attribuées au Thomas du livre précédent et vice-versa, la structure narrative est pratiquement la même (à part les séparations de chapitres), ils expriment des angoisses et des opinions similaires. The Original Face, en ce sens, est à lire comme un "companion piece", la deuxième face d'un diptyque. J'imagine qu'un triptyque ça commencerait à être un peu intense, mais on verra quelle direction l'écriture prendra.
Il y a sans aucun doute une tension intéressante à l'oeuvre ici. Alors que le personnage de Daniel refuse d'abandonner une certaine image de lui-même qu'il s'est forgé au fil des ans, ses présupposés (ou leur absence) entrent en conflit avec ceux de son amoureuse. On sent venir le clash, mais l'affaire est bien menée. Avec le personnage de Grace, de loin le plus incarné qu'il ait créé jusqu'à maintenant, j'ai l'impression que Morissette cherche à s'engager sur une voie inédite, pas nécessairement celle de la convention et de la banalité, mais celle de la reconnaissance de la complexité des identités personnelles.
Valeurs sûres:
-Internet/présence en ligne
-Bière cheap.
-Aderrall.
-Champignons magiques.
-Déclarations cyniques/romantiques
-Remises en question
-Narcissisme
-Animaux de compagnie
-Le français à Montréal comme angoisse existentielle/semi-nuisance.
Nouveautés:
-"I love you."
-Voyages et découvertes géographiques.
-Personnages "ordinaires" non jugés (ex. Nan).
-Soirée Meurtre et Mystère.
-Sexe non malaisant.
-Engueulades sincères.
-"Party hiatus."
April 12, 2022
Writing of astronomic proportions. Haven't identified with an author or his semi-autobiographical main character more. (except in Mr. Morissette's first novel!)
Everything is in here: the angst of being an artist today, the hate of others and of conventional jobs, the profound desire to be alone, the alienation, the stark constant poverty, the inability to maintain a romantic affair with someone you love.
I never thought I'd find my own self inside the pages of a book.
Everything is in here: the angst of being an artist today, the hate of others and of conventional jobs, the profound desire to be alone, the alienation, the stark constant poverty, the inability to maintain a romantic affair with someone you love.
I never thought I'd find my own self inside the pages of a book.
August 9, 2019
Daniel, a freelance web designer and new media artist, is in an artistic rut when we first meet him. Moving from Montreal to Toronto and Newfoundland, this novel follows a year in Daniel's life as he navigates the gig economy. Daniel is also in a relationship with Grace. Grace is not an artist but she hangs out with artists. She waitresses as she is working on finishing prep courses in order to apply and get into physical therapy. These two are not a match made in heaven but they are nice and lonely and their mutual insecurities align well together (he sometimes wants to feel "normal" and "part of society" while she has never found a "nice guy"). The novel begins when Daniel is about to make the decision to move to Toronto, on an impulse but also on a desire to grow as an artist in a bigger pond.
So, I loved New Tab. I was also younger. I was super excited to get my hands on this but I struggled with it because I didn't enjoy reading it. I don't think I learned anything. Daniel seems like your typical male artist who thinks being a member of society and being an artist is incompatible while Grace is your run-of-mill girlfriend who is a good and supportive partner but has no defining characteristic other than wanting to take her relationship to the next step. Grace is so goddamn one-dimensional. The choice of using first-person narration was a powerful choice because we can truly understand Daniel's perspective. Then again, I'm not sure if I want to hear it.
If the reader is not meant to sympathize with Daniel, mission accomplished. Daniel's a dick. He's not funny. He thinks being an office foosball champion is better than selling water coolers, and it's smug to hate every job except that of being an Artist. I find myself offended on his co-workers' behalf. Daniel reminds me of someone who would say, "I'm a cinematographer" when you ask them what they do for a living, and then when you probe, you find out he's unemployed and living off his girlfriend.
This book was easy to read, especially if you've ever read a "why is a millennial doing x" article in any of the major papers, this will tread familiar ground.
So, I loved New Tab. I was also younger. I was super excited to get my hands on this but I struggled with it because I didn't enjoy reading it. I don't think I learned anything. Daniel seems like your typical male artist who thinks being a member of society and being an artist is incompatible while Grace is your run-of-mill girlfriend who is a good and supportive partner but has no defining characteristic other than wanting to take her relationship to the next step. Grace is so goddamn one-dimensional. The choice of using first-person narration was a powerful choice because we can truly understand Daniel's perspective. Then again, I'm not sure if I want to hear it.
If the reader is not meant to sympathize with Daniel, mission accomplished. Daniel's a dick. He's not funny. He thinks being an office foosball champion is better than selling water coolers, and it's smug to hate every job except that of being an Artist. I find myself offended on his co-workers' behalf. Daniel reminds me of someone who would say, "I'm a cinematographer" when you ask them what they do for a living, and then when you probe, you find out he's unemployed and living off his girlfriend.
This book was easy to read, especially if you've ever read a "why is a millennial doing x" article in any of the major papers, this will tread familiar ground.
January 20, 2018
This one was really hard for me to get into. Daniel seems to hardly care about what is going on in his life, so it made it pretty difficult for me to care. Eventually I was interested in his relationship with Grace and his concerns about life. My life is so very different than Daniel's and I can't remember a time in my life when I was even near his attitude, but that's why I kept pushing through. There must be people out there with opinions and lives like this, so maybe it would be interesting to see this story presented from that frame of mind.
March 17, 2020
“I don’t think I’ve ever wanted inner peace...inner warfare just seems so much better”
Attracted by the opening lines, I’ve never read a book that quite captures our times as this does...the strange impact that the internet has had on societal structures, social lives and even the world of art....and it perfectly conveys the angst of that period in life when you are young, broke, searching and not yet established in who you are. Also, some beautiful images and phrases deliberately sprinkled throughout...But other than that, more a curiosity than a worthwhile read.
Attracted by the opening lines, I’ve never read a book that quite captures our times as this does...the strange impact that the internet has had on societal structures, social lives and even the world of art....and it perfectly conveys the angst of that period in life when you are young, broke, searching and not yet established in who you are. Also, some beautiful images and phrases deliberately sprinkled throughout...But other than that, more a curiosity than a worthwhile read.
October 14, 2018
I think it takes a lot of guts to write about a person who thinks they are better than what society wants from them, who thinks they shouldn’t have to sell water coolers, and shouldn’t have to work hard on anything that is not art if art is all they care about. The Original Face is a huge success because it not only rejects society but it rejects it with grace. Grace is one of those things dealt out so rarely that it’s hard to spot. I saw it here I’ll just say that. I saw enough grace for a few books.
The Original Face was also funny as hell. It had just the perfect acknowledgement of the absurdity of the world while having its feet firmly sunk into the concrete of the real world. In theme the novel felt similar to two other books I’ve loved, Leaving the Atocha Station by Ben Lerner, and Notes from Underground by Dostoevsky, both of which are focused as-seriously-as-possible on what it means to be a man daring to do something as strange as making art while the world happens to be in some semblance of coming to an end. Leaving Atocha Station is fixated on lies tho, telling them, and selling them, where as the Original Face is pushed forward by an engine of sincerity both inward and in the dealings with other characters.
I thought of the narrator, Daniel, as having a kind of religious fervor, as if they were locked away in a monastery devoted almost entirely to their God but their God here was their chosen medium of expression, in this case the expression happened to be art videos created out of glitches in a kind of alternate reality existing online and in video games like Fallout III. There is something endlessly beautiful about that. A monk devoted to pulling threads of transcendent art out of the junkyard of the ironic and insincere internet and the junkyard of video games very few people see as an art form yet.
I marked up a lot of this book on an airplane flying over America and then flying over the Pacific Ocean to Hawaii. It was a perfect travel companion. This is a novel that will illicit a response. That response in you might be similar to mine, fluctuating from anger to elation back to anger and then back to elation, and that is to the skill of the novelist. He, in my opinion, really captured one of the best ‘unlikeable’ narrators, a person with a strong drive to accomplish what they want to accomplish with art but who has no ill feeling or ill will towards humanity, who is kind countless times again and again to people who he probably shouldn’t even be kind to. All of the contempt in this book is aimed against the machinery of society and how society insists you participate in their system. What The Original Face wants, is for the narrator to be free and anyone can tell you that getting free will be the most difficult undertaking of their lives. Their lives, that’s the important part ... not someone else’s expectation of what their life should be but what they demand from their own life. Some reviewers read this book and thought it was what it is like to be a member of the gig economy in Montreal in 2010, but they’re wrong. It’s about something a lot bigger than that. It’s about being a monk and workshopping a God and making sacrifices to that God until you can find happiness by finally becoming nothing.
The Original Face was also funny as hell. It had just the perfect acknowledgement of the absurdity of the world while having its feet firmly sunk into the concrete of the real world. In theme the novel felt similar to two other books I’ve loved, Leaving the Atocha Station by Ben Lerner, and Notes from Underground by Dostoevsky, both of which are focused as-seriously-as-possible on what it means to be a man daring to do something as strange as making art while the world happens to be in some semblance of coming to an end. Leaving Atocha Station is fixated on lies tho, telling them, and selling them, where as the Original Face is pushed forward by an engine of sincerity both inward and in the dealings with other characters.
I thought of the narrator, Daniel, as having a kind of religious fervor, as if they were locked away in a monastery devoted almost entirely to their God but their God here was their chosen medium of expression, in this case the expression happened to be art videos created out of glitches in a kind of alternate reality existing online and in video games like Fallout III. There is something endlessly beautiful about that. A monk devoted to pulling threads of transcendent art out of the junkyard of the ironic and insincere internet and the junkyard of video games very few people see as an art form yet.
I marked up a lot of this book on an airplane flying over America and then flying over the Pacific Ocean to Hawaii. It was a perfect travel companion. This is a novel that will illicit a response. That response in you might be similar to mine, fluctuating from anger to elation back to anger and then back to elation, and that is to the skill of the novelist. He, in my opinion, really captured one of the best ‘unlikeable’ narrators, a person with a strong drive to accomplish what they want to accomplish with art but who has no ill feeling or ill will towards humanity, who is kind countless times again and again to people who he probably shouldn’t even be kind to. All of the contempt in this book is aimed against the machinery of society and how society insists you participate in their system. What The Original Face wants, is for the narrator to be free and anyone can tell you that getting free will be the most difficult undertaking of their lives. Their lives, that’s the important part ... not someone else’s expectation of what their life should be but what they demand from their own life. Some reviewers read this book and thought it was what it is like to be a member of the gig economy in Montreal in 2010, but they’re wrong. It’s about something a lot bigger than that. It’s about being a monk and workshopping a God and making sacrifices to that God until you can find happiness by finally becoming nothing.
January 13, 2018
Un artiste "numérique" montréalais lutte pour être reconnu, tout en procrastinant et en produisant très peu, et a donc beaucoup de mal à joindre les deux bouts. Il s'engage dans une relation, déménage à Toronto en pensant y trouver mieux, mais le lecteur réalisera que même en changeant de ville, when you're an asshole, it follows you.
Il y a quelque chose de très personnel dans ce récit, et en même temps Daniel, le narrateur, est profondément antipathique; égoïste, pingre, il considère tous les emplois alimentaires qui lui sont proposés comme "au-dessous de lui", et se refuse à tout compromis dans sa relation amoureuse.
Il faut donc le voir comme une critique d'une certaine partie de la population, ou d'une génération profondément centrée sur elle-même, sans quoi la lecture ne serait qu'une série de moments malaisants. Le portrait est cinglant et texturé, toutefois, et résulte en une lecture qui informe autant qu'elle fait réagir.
Il y a quelque chose de très personnel dans ce récit, et en même temps Daniel, le narrateur, est profondément antipathique; égoïste, pingre, il considère tous les emplois alimentaires qui lui sont proposés comme "au-dessous de lui", et se refuse à tout compromis dans sa relation amoureuse.
Il faut donc le voir comme une critique d'une certaine partie de la population, ou d'une génération profondément centrée sur elle-même, sans quoi la lecture ne serait qu'une série de moments malaisants. Le portrait est cinglant et texturé, toutefois, et résulte en une lecture qui informe autant qu'elle fait réagir.
April 13, 2021
Throwback to two years ago in my Montreal Literature course, my professor assigned a group presentation on an author not covered in our course, and presented us with a sign-up sheet. I scanned the sheet, prioritizing a presentation date that was after some bigger assignments were due. "Guillaume Morissette? Ok, sure, cool name, why not". Little did I know, I would end up falling in love with his debut novel, "New Tab" with its deadpan humour, and commentary about social media being a digital bandaid to mend one's gash of insecurities.
"The Original Face" manages to delve even deeper into the protagonist Daniel's neuroses, and his intimate relationships, primarily with his girlfriend, Grace. Observing the clashes the couple had about their life goals raised interesting questions about what it means to be successful as a young adult today. Grace, as well as myself frankly, grew irate with Daniel as he constantly quit customer service jobs that he felt were cheesy, and maligned with his image of being a hipster avant-garde artist, when in reality his income through art was precarious at best. Yet, throughout the novel, we learn that Daniel prefers a minimalist lifestyle; he "only owns one pair of pants", is not exactly a gourmand, and is able to keep a roof over his head at the bare minimum, while concentrating on projects that align with his passions and talents. Growing up in a traditional household, the grandchild of immigrants, my gut reaction was to find Daniel's choices infuriating and idiotic; however, if this unconventional lifestyle still manages to keep him fed and clothed, and this is the lifestyle he prefers, should he really be vilified for his deviance? These relational conflicts in the book were compelling to me.
One of my favourite things about this book was its wonderful observational humour, and the way Morissette was able to conjure images of three distinct places, Montreal, Toronto and Newfoundland through vivid descriptions, hilarious analogies, and the characerizations of his interactions in each setting. Morissette has a keen eye for detail, and it makes for hilariously awkward moments. The entire Newfoundland chapter could have been a warped hipster Montrealer version of "Curb Your Enthusiasm", and I'm not mad about it. Overall, I just find that when I read something from Guillaume Morissette, I know I am going to have a ton of fun, and "The Original Face" did not disappoint.
Finally, in most novels, films and shows, the last portion is in a way the resolution after the big climactic scene, that is often a happy ending. However, "The Original Face" totally flips this trope, and gives you what seems like a happy ending, and then leaves you with an unsettling climax. This can speak to how Daniel is perpetually unsatisfied, and does not want a "happy ending". Overall this book made me think, and also make me unable to put it down. I will always be excited to see what Guillaume Morissette comes up with next!
"The Original Face" manages to delve even deeper into the protagonist Daniel's neuroses, and his intimate relationships, primarily with his girlfriend, Grace. Observing the clashes the couple had about their life goals raised interesting questions about what it means to be successful as a young adult today. Grace, as well as myself frankly, grew irate with Daniel as he constantly quit customer service jobs that he felt were cheesy, and maligned with his image of being a hipster avant-garde artist, when in reality his income through art was precarious at best. Yet, throughout the novel, we learn that Daniel prefers a minimalist lifestyle; he "only owns one pair of pants", is not exactly a gourmand, and is able to keep a roof over his head at the bare minimum, while concentrating on projects that align with his passions and talents. Growing up in a traditional household, the grandchild of immigrants, my gut reaction was to find Daniel's choices infuriating and idiotic; however, if this unconventional lifestyle still manages to keep him fed and clothed, and this is the lifestyle he prefers, should he really be vilified for his deviance? These relational conflicts in the book were compelling to me.
One of my favourite things about this book was its wonderful observational humour, and the way Morissette was able to conjure images of three distinct places, Montreal, Toronto and Newfoundland through vivid descriptions, hilarious analogies, and the characerizations of his interactions in each setting. Morissette has a keen eye for detail, and it makes for hilariously awkward moments. The entire Newfoundland chapter could have been a warped hipster Montrealer version of "Curb Your Enthusiasm", and I'm not mad about it. Overall, I just find that when I read something from Guillaume Morissette, I know I am going to have a ton of fun, and "The Original Face" did not disappoint.
Finally, in most novels, films and shows, the last portion is in a way the resolution after the big climactic scene, that is often a happy ending. However, "The Original Face" totally flips this trope, and gives you what seems like a happy ending, and then leaves you with an unsettling climax. This can speak to how Daniel is perpetually unsatisfied, and does not want a "happy ending". Overall this book made me think, and also make me unable to put it down. I will always be excited to see what Guillaume Morissette comes up with next!
March 27, 2025
L’écriture de Guillaume Morissette est fluide et immersive, ce qui rend agréable la lecture du récit. Les réflexions sur notre rapport au numérique, à la mémoire et à la construction de soi dans un monde connecté sont particulièrement pertinentes. Elles résonnent avec les interrogations modernes sur l’authenticité à l’ère des réseaux sociaux et de l’intelligence artificielle.
Cependant, le roman souffre d’une certaine redondance. Daniel semble enfermé dans une boucle où il passe d’un emploi à un autre, toujours insatisfait, sans réelle progression. Cette quête d’identité, bien que fascinante au départ, finit par manquer de renouvellement, donnant l’impression que le personnage stagne dans son mal-être.
Un autre point qui aurait pu être davantage développé est l’impact de la technologie sur la vie et le travail de Daniel. Alors que le roman aborde des questions intéressantes sur l’intelligence artificielle et la mémoire numérique, ces thèmes restent en arrière-plan et ne sont pas explorés aussi profondément qu’on pourrait l’espérer.
Enfin, malgré toutes ses réflexions, Daniel n’évolue pas réellement. Ses dilemmes reviennent souvent aux mêmes conclusions, ce qui peut laisser une impression d’inachevé. Le manque d’évolution et de profondeur sur certains aspects empêche l'histoire d’atteindre son plein potentiel.
Une lecture stimulante, mais qui aurait gagné à aller plus loin dans ses questionnements.
Cependant, le roman souffre d’une certaine redondance. Daniel semble enfermé dans une boucle où il passe d’un emploi à un autre, toujours insatisfait, sans réelle progression. Cette quête d’identité, bien que fascinante au départ, finit par manquer de renouvellement, donnant l’impression que le personnage stagne dans son mal-être.
Un autre point qui aurait pu être davantage développé est l’impact de la technologie sur la vie et le travail de Daniel. Alors que le roman aborde des questions intéressantes sur l’intelligence artificielle et la mémoire numérique, ces thèmes restent en arrière-plan et ne sont pas explorés aussi profondément qu’on pourrait l’espérer.
Enfin, malgré toutes ses réflexions, Daniel n’évolue pas réellement. Ses dilemmes reviennent souvent aux mêmes conclusions, ce qui peut laisser une impression d’inachevé. Le manque d’évolution et de profondeur sur certains aspects empêche l'histoire d’atteindre son plein potentiel.
Une lecture stimulante, mais qui aurait gagné à aller plus loin dans ses questionnements.
October 10, 2017
"Though Resonance was usually quiet during the day, minus maybe creepy jazz playing on the sound system, that afternoon, a music teacher had reserved the concert area in the back. One by one, small children of seven to nine were summoned onstage to play a few notes on an oversized piano. At the end of each song, the children's parents clapped politely in a forced and mechanical manner, like a kind of Pavlovian conditioning in which silence automatically triggered applause."
--ha ha! I think I know that music teacher! Pretty sure I know one of those seven- to nine-year-olds! But, you're wrong, Guillaume, my clapping wasn't automatic or polite or forced-- when your kid performs it is actually a genuinely delightful experience.
I enjoyed this novel very much. It is about becoming an adult and trying to balance paid work, making art, and maintaining relationships. It asks whether the artist ever can, or will, be responsible to any one or thing aside from his or her art. It's inconclusive, but pessimistic, on that front, it seems to me. Suggests that the artist *wants* to want to make money and be a better friend and boyfriend, but does not *truly* want those things, only wants to make art.
--ha ha! I think I know that music teacher! Pretty sure I know one of those seven- to nine-year-olds! But, you're wrong, Guillaume, my clapping wasn't automatic or polite or forced-- when your kid performs it is actually a genuinely delightful experience.
I enjoyed this novel very much. It is about becoming an adult and trying to balance paid work, making art, and maintaining relationships. It asks whether the artist ever can, or will, be responsible to any one or thing aside from his or her art. It's inconclusive, but pessimistic, on that front, it seems to me. Suggests that the artist *wants* to want to make money and be a better friend and boyfriend, but does not *truly* want those things, only wants to make art.
January 10, 2018
I agree with my fellow reviewer who referred to this book as hyper-realistic. At times, it was painful to relate to the protagonist's chosen poverty (concealed, snuck-in beers to Sharx, for example) and was not always an enjoyable experience to relive, as the cheapness of a friend is not always a pleasant trait. That being said, the absurdity of the situations brought to light keep a smile on the reader's face. I was laughing out loud for the entirety of the first half of the book. Also, the scenes meeting the girlfriend's family in Newfoundland were precious and from experience as a Maritimer, accurate and thoroughly enjoyable. If I had one complaint about the book, it would be the scenes surrounding Daniel's art shows seemed rushed. It seemed unrealistic that so little detail would go into this when a real artist would be obsessed. If I had TWO complaints, it would be that the book left me wanting more! Overall, an extremely enjoyable and easy read, one that I would highly recommend to anyone looking for an adventurous ride into the mind of a contemporary young person.
September 2, 2019
A quick read. I almost stopped reading a few pages in, but decided to tough it out. I was mildly annoyed by the main character throughout; he was not very sympathetic. He also reminded me of someone I know, which on the one hand, made me want to sympathize more with the character *and* the person I know, but simultaneously reduced my respect for both. Hard to explain it, but the way the main character waffles through life, making bad decision after bad decision, is just not something I can understand.
2 pedantic points regarding Montreal geography:
1) There's no metro in Montréal Nord! I presume he meant Sauvé or Henri-Bourassa.
2) It's a 40 minute walk from Guy-Concordia to the Gay Village, not 20! It made no sense for the character to not pay $3 for the metro, or ask a friend to pay it for him, instead of walking 40 minutes, in the rain. Which is why the author changed it to a 20-minute walk, made it a bit more believable. Either way, that was still pretty pathetic.
2 pedantic points regarding Montreal geography:
1) There's no metro in Montréal Nord! I presume he meant Sauvé or Henri-Bourassa.
2) It's a 40 minute walk from Guy-Concordia to the Gay Village, not 20! It made no sense for the character to not pay $3 for the metro, or ask a friend to pay it for him, instead of walking 40 minutes, in the rain. Which is why the author changed it to a 20-minute walk, made it a bit more believable. Either way, that was still pretty pathetic.
April 9, 2018
I read about this book on Twitter and in the Walrus, and thought it sounded like good weekend reading that would not be too demanding. It fulfilled that role very well. This is a book in which only Toronto, Montreal, Baltimore, New York, and somewhere in Newfoundland exist. Is there a rest of Canada? I know lots of young people from BC have moved to Montreal, but maybe they don't hang out with the crowd in this novel. Is the book banal, or is life banal, and thus a realistic novel will be banal? Interesting question, and the book did often feel banal, but I was drawn in enough to keep reading. I wondered if the novel's protagonist might not benefit from a round of farm labor or ditch-digging--anything to get him out of his often miserable thoughts. There are some philosophical undercurrents that I am still thinking about.
January 2, 2018
I didn’t read New Tab, so this was my first exposure to this author. I found the novel witty, hyper realistic and intriguing. I couldn’t put it down. I identified with the main character, even though I’m not an artist myself. I learnt a lot of 3 or 4 letter acronyms, as well as imaginative ways to save on expenses. Not being a millennial myself, I observed how technology was used and wondered if it prevented or how it otherwise altered social interactions. I would recommend this novel to anyone looking to understand millennial artists better.
August 19, 2022
I was more excited after reading Morissette's New Tab but this Montreal romcom has its moments despite some remarkably stilted dialogue. I've never tried Adderall but I kind of want to now!
PS: I wouldn't call it "a novel about the gig economy" (which the back cover does) because none of the protagonist's jobs are really gig economy jobs.
PPS: The edition I read had a cover that was 10000% less hideous than the one pictured here.
PS: I wouldn't call it "a novel about the gig economy" (which the back cover does) because none of the protagonist's jobs are really gig economy jobs.
PPS: The edition I read had a cover that was 10000% less hideous than the one pictured here.
February 4, 2023
I love a story without a plot. Where you struggle to tell someone what the book is about because it’s just about people doing normal, everyday things, but it’s done purposefully and well. This book was none of those things. It’s best attribute is that it only goes on for 200 pages, so that you’re only with these one-dimensional characters and the self-sabotaging, snobbish protagonist for a short while.
July 27, 2018
A lost, self-indulgent author with scraps of meandering and inane conversation but not an engaging conversation with the reader. Storytelling is missing. If you are a millennial, the lost main character may look like some one you know. As I am not a millennial I concluded that this book was not for me. 100-age meant I read 24 pages too many before I added it to my abandoned shelf.
February 1, 2018
Hovering between 3 and 4 stars. I think New Tab was a bit richer but this was still a solid, comfortable, and funny read. Sometimes I thought "This is me". Sometimes I didn't, but I instantly recognised the situation that was being portrayed, often mundane yet absurd.
August 28, 2017
Related most to the part where he met his gf's family.
October 30, 2021
It was wonderful to read a fresh new book specially from Montreal as I have recently made it my home.
Ironically many parts of the book clicked with my own self which kept me hooked on to it.
Ironically many parts of the book clicked with my own self which kept me hooked on to it.
October 6, 2018
I wanted to like this book, and as a Torontonian living in Montreal I did end up enjoying several of the remarks about both cities. However, Daniel reminded me too much of people I've met at Montreal parties who are so into the idea of being an artist that it makes them see themselves as better than everyone else. I was shocked to learn that he was supposed to be 30, as this mindset seems to be most prevalent in people a decade younger.
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