Unraveling Oliver by Liz Nugent
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I’m in a bit of a quandary about how to rate this novel. Bear with me here. A week ago, I engaged in a heated debate with another GR member about the legitimacy of criticism. She insisted that one must understand the author and have some concept of the circumstances under which a piece is written (e.g. the culture, historic significance, etc.) in order to critique it. Her argument was that knowing all those extrinsic factors was necessary to fully appreciate the writing and thus render a review more valid. I, on the other hand, felt that her view was elitist and that it is perfectly acceptable to criticize literature based solely on how it makes a reader FEEL. If the reader invests in a book, that investment alone gives him the right to offer an opinion. One of the magical things about a book, however, is its ability to live in duality. First, it exists for those who wish to analyze and study, research and opine. Secondly, it exists for its own sake, to be read at face value and enjoyed for the sheer emotion of the experience.
So, about this rating.... keep in mind that concept of duality. As a student of literature and writing, and as a secondary English teacher, I found this book to be one of the most clever, innovative and well-written books I’ve read in a very long time. It opens with a first person narrative from Oliver, who has just beaten his wife Alice to unconsciousness. He is clearly an unreliable narrator, and his words are meant to be taken with a pinch of salt. In subsequent chapters, those who knew Oliver tell the story of his background, in first person episodic stories that slowly converge to reveal the depth of Oliver’s depravity and the reason for Alice’s ultimate punishment. This structure, the alternating POVs, is done to damn near genius. This author’s ability to vary complicated sentence structures and use such varied vocabulary means that each character is given a voice that is distinctly unique. From the young French Veronique to the mentally disabled Eugene, these characters “speak” as if the reader is sitting in a cozy chair next to them or across the table in a intimate coffee house. They are truly that real.
As a reader, however, Unraveling Oliver was an abject failure. I hated Oliver from the opening page and was nauseous reading his narcissistic prose. It was so unenjoyable, in fact, that I was ready to shelve it at 20%. Additionally, I felt like some of the details were cliche and irrelevant, added as filler and to stoke a bit of controversy. A mentally handicapped boy is portrayed as both a babbling fool (as per Oliver) and as a young man who sees and understands more than people give him credit for (as per Eugene). The Catholic Church is presented with this same dichotomy. On one hand, there is a priest who engages in sexual encounters and another who comes out of the closet; on the other hand, the novel features a kindly priest who takes a young man under his wing and selflessly nurtures him through to adulthood. Homosexuality is characterized as both a bacchanalian life style and as a path to living one’s truth. This pattern is repeated with themes of suicide, interracial relationships, etc. It simply became overwhelming, and seriously—I think there’s something here to alienate anyone, whether over the issues discussed or the flights of fancy that veer from the storyline into the ether.
As a professional, I found this author’s craft to be well honed, well heeled and well done. His uncanny ability to lay out seemingly haphazard puzzle pieces from different boxes, one at a time, and then slowly build a unified picture is other worldly and worthy of all the stars. As a reader, however, Unraveling Oliver was a dismal, dark story that made me extremely uncomfortable and angry. I would rather set myself on fire than have to again engage with the dysfunction, making it a 1.5 star read (credit for setting the tone). I just think this author went too far off the rails for me to find value in the premise.
In the end, a reluctant three ⭐️, and then only because this author is damn good, even if I hated it.
48 Hours
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