Play Book Tag discussion

Under the Volcano by Malcolm Lowry - 4 stars

Literary fiction and tragedy about a man suffering from the long-term effects of alcohol abuse. On the surface, the storyline follows a British Consul, living in Mexico with his brother, whose ex-wife has come to help him and see what may be salvageable of their relationship. On a deeper level, it is more about how a life can be overtaken and destroyed by addiction, suggested by setting the book during “The Day of the Dead” as well as living “under the volcano,” and waiting for it to erupt and consume an ever-diminishing life.

Overall, I found it a chore to read, but there were flashes of brilliance. The author’s writing style is filled with long descriptive sentences and stream of consciousness thoughts, not always coherent, of the protagonist. I am not a big fan of stream of consciousness, but it thought it successfully portrayed the delusions and hallucinations of an advanced alcoholic condition. Many passages seemed to go off on completely unrelated topics. There is little in the way of plot and I did not find myself caring about the characters.

The author’s non-linear method of combining the primary narrative with flashbacks, rogue thoughts, and vivid images, may not be to everyone’s taste. It is not a quick or easy read and requires focused concentration. On the plus side, it is filled with literary references, which I enjoyed, and I found it creative and original. On the minus side, I am not sure how accessible it will be to most readers. I don’t mind a bit of mental gymnastics, but this work exceeded even my high tolerance for dense prose. I am relieved to be finished with it.

This book is considered a modern masterpiece (the reason I read it) and was published in 1947. Lowry died in 1957 at age 47 from drug and alcohol-related causes. I admired some of the writing, when not rambling or off topic, but it was not a particularly pleasant reading experience. You may like this book If you gravitate toward experimental works.

Link to my Goodreads review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Adding a couple of thoughts that occurred to me overnight:
- Be prepared to look up or translate untranslated phrases written in various languages (mostly Spanish, but also French and German)
- A knowledge of Spanish would come in handy, as the main character often thinks and speaks in a combination of English and Spanish (not required but helpful)