I rather enjoy relating how I picked up some of my books. It could be a teasing hook written on the back cover, a compelling idea, an admired author, an eye-catching design...or in this case, black pages.
Yah, isn't it cool? The pages of the book are stained black at the edges. My girlfriend took a look at The End of Mr Y after I paid up and asked me,"You bought it cos the pages are black right?"
Was it so obvious?
As frivolous as the reason I purchased it may be, The End of Mr Y is no walk in the park. It is a compelling read, as much as I feel that author is trying to fuck with my mind at times.
(what was I to use -'brain fornication'?)
The story goes like this: Ariel Manto is doing her PhD in Thought Experiments, and is particularly enamoured by the works of this eccentric Victorian scientist Thomas Lumas. His last novel, The End of Mr Y, is extremely rare and Ariel is over the moon when she comes across a copy of it. As she delves into the story, Ariel discovers a recipe for a special formula that allows people to enter the Troposphere - a metaphysical dimension made up of the individual's thoughts and lets the person enter the thoughts of others. Love, sex and adventure follows, all the ingredients needed for an exciting and enjoyable ride.
The cranium copulation bit comes when Ariel and her friends discuss quantum physics and philosophy. Some of the ideas from people like Heidegger, Samuel Butler and Edgar Allan Poe had me scratching my head at times and wishing I had Google at my side.
Quote? I was hard pressed to find one that wasn't too cheem and nothing really struck me...so, not this time.
All that said, The End of Mr Y is a worthy read, especially if you like an adventure with a dose of scientific and philosophical musings.
7 out of 10 kusari-gama.
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