C by Tom McCarthy

Some novels are plot-books: You read to see what happens. This is not that kind of book. Some novels are character-books: You come to know and understand the central character, and perhaps others, so well that they seem like real people. You care about what happens to them. This is not that kind of book. Some novels are setting-books: Time and place are so wonderfully delineated that you feel you are there. This is not that kind of book. A few novels are puzzle-books: The whole narrative feels like a fever or drug induced dream, so that you never quite know what is real and what is not, what is concrete and what is symbolic. This is that kind of book.

To begin with, the protagonist, Serge Carrefax, is born with a caul, obscuring his vision, and he periodically sees life ever after as through a mist or a haze. The novel depicts him as a child in the chapter "Caul," as a young aviator during World War I in "Chute," as a prisoner of war and later as a heroin-addicted returnee to England in "Crash," and as an almost-accidental tomb explorer in Egypt in "Call." (Notice, all "c" words.)

Throughout, McCarthy strews motifs, themes, hints, clues, leading to the (possible) interpretation of the book. We have multiple mentions of communication and miscommunication, rebirth mythology, communication with the dead, tunneling and tombs, and insects. This last gave me the clue to my idea as to the "meaning" of the book. I believe this to be a story of mourning and longing for reunion by the protagonist for his dead sister. In this light, "insects" and "incest" are linked.

However, I am sure multiple understandings of the novel are possible, as are possible ideas as to why the book is called C.

McCarthy has written a very clever book here, obviously planning it from start to finish beforehand. I really cannot decide if it is a work of genius or a self-conscious display. I only know that I liked it very much.