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Tee C. Royal
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, March 13, 2003 - 09:27 am: | 
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Okay GG, Yvette, and akaivy...let's get this discussion going! I'll throw out a question or two and feel free to answer them and throw out more.
1) What was your overall impression of the book and the main character Anthony?
2) How did you feel about the authors style of writing the book? He strayed from the conventional 'dialogue in quotes' and used different punctuation. Did it distract you from the story?
3) One of the themes in this book deals with Anthony and his mental illness. Did you feel the author did a good job of helping us understand Anthony's world?
4) LaValle used humor to portray a sensitive subject...how did you feel about it?
5) Did you have any problems actually reading the book? Or was it a straight-through fast paced read for you? What did you like and/or dislike about it?
-Tee |
akaivyleaf
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, March 13, 2003 - 01:46 pm: |
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1. My overall impression of the book helped me develop a true love/hate relationship with a piece of literature. I felt bad for Anthony at some points and other times, maybe because of his mental anquish, he was just asking for trouble. If was during these points that I just wanted to pop him.
2. I liked the author's style of writing. It was different, to go along with the different tone of a book whose subject isn't discussed much. At first I found it very distracting, but then when you write about or portray a person with mental illness it needs to be distracting to put the reader in the setting.
3. I think he did a wonderful job of exposing us to Anthony's world. So much so, that I wondered if the author was speaking from some kind of first hand perception. Not necessarily an autobiography but does Mr. LaValle have someone in his family who has suffered in this way. I thought it was way to "correct" to be fiction.
4. Humor... one has to be able to laugh at ones self to exist in this world. I think humor was appropriate in this context, but I'm sure if I was in this I wouldn't find it funny.
5. It took me a while to read it. Like I said I developed a strong love/hate relationship with it. The times I hated it, I put it down for a couple of days before I could pick it up again. I wanted to know what happened, just didn't want to frustrate myself finding out.
6. My favorite character was Ishkabibble. I loved the name... I like saying it aloud. |
yukio
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, March 13, 2003 - 04:20 pm: |
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akaivyleaf,
I believe that Lavalle sorta of modeled anthony's weight problem to his own. There is an article somewhere online that states his history with weight. |
Tee C. Royal
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, March 13, 2003 - 05:48 pm: |
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Here's an article that sheds more light to the book:
http://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,1413,36%257E26%257E1131880,00.html
I'll be back with my comments once my electricity comes back on...gotta love living in the Boonies.
-Tee |
Tee C. Royal
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, March 13, 2003 - 06:58 pm: |
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Okay...I'm back in business...let's DO THIS!
1) What was your overall impression of the book and the main character Anthony?
Overall, I enjoyed the book after finally understanding what was going on and totally blocking out everything else around me. It was initially one of the hardest books I've tried to read because I wasn't quite "ready" for it...it wasn't a light read. I loved Anthony at times and he annoyed me at others...but I would revert back to his illness and somewhat understand his antics.
2) How did you feel about the authors style of writing the book? He strayed from the conventional 'dialogue in quotes' and used different punctuation. Did it distract you from the story?
Initially, I hated it. I'm an English major wanna be, so I couldn't get down with the absence of quotes and the format I'm use to in books. I kept putting the book down...then out of the blue Victor emailed me to tell me about the book and after telling him I had been trying to read the ARC I had, he was open to my questions...that saved the book for me! His explanation of why he uses that style helped me get out of my rut and I was able to finish the book. And it was definitely an interesting read for me, something I probably would not have read if I hadn't been reviewing it.
3) One of the themes in this book deals with Anthony and his mental illness. Did you feel the
author did a good job of helping us understand Anthony's world?
He did an excellent job narrating this book...I know Anthony's weight problems are based on the
author's own experiences, but the whole aura of the book was real. I think I understood Anthony's world, but just as I was getting into what was going on, he'd switch up on me and be on another subject.
4) LaValle used humor to portray a sensitive subject...how did you feel about it?
I liked it! I found myself laughing out loud several times as visions of the story hit me...I understand the subject matter is not a laughing matter, however I think it helped to keep it light, yet still get the point across.
5) Did you have any problems actually reading the book? Or was it a straight-through fast paced
read for you? What did you like and/or dislike about it?
My only problems initially was the format...I also felt at time that the book was schizophrenic...let me explain. Once I stopped trying to do other things and focusesd entirely on the book, I found that just when I got interested in what was going on, LaValle switched up on me and threw Anthony in another situation. This worked well because of the subject matter and I'm not sure if it was intentional or not.
When I finished reading, initially I wasn't sure if I liked the book or not, I was still trying to understand what I had just read. After letting it sink in, I realized that just as life...it was REAL...it wasn't just a one dimensional book, but it touched on the complete life of Anthony...I liked that. It also made me look at mental illness in a different light.
I did a review for this book that I'll post later that details more of my likes/dislikes.
-Tee |
GG
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, March 13, 2003 - 08:44 pm: |
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1. First of all, the book was 100% different than anything that I have ever read before, with the exception of Orange Laughter by Leone Ross, which also dealt with Mental Illness. Once I got past the unique style of writing, I totally enjoyed the book. It was at times sad, funny and pathetic. I found Anthony very likeable, I don't think that I ever really got mad at him. He was kind of sad and pathetic, but he really meant well and wanted to do the right thing.
2. The absence of "dialogue in quotes" was disturbing at first, but after a few pages I got pretty used to it and no, it didn't distract from the story.
3. The author did a very good job of portraying the world of someone unstable and overweight. But I don't know if anyone could really understood Anthony's world,he was a mixture of a million things. There was the weight issue, his obsession with having sex (or lack of sex) and his coming to terms with his mental illness.
4. I am personnally a real nut case, I use humor in my own life to look and deal with some of lifes' harsh realities. Therefore, the humor in the book was the one area that I really liked. I laughed out loud at the beauty pageant when his sister walked on stage with the grandmother tied to her back. (I think she was on her way to a little mental illness herself)
5. I didn't have any problems actually reading the book, but I must admit, it wasn't a book that I just couldn't put down. I sort of "slow-walked" this one. I think I found the ending a bit funny, wierd and disappointing. Until the end, I really thought the mother would come back home. The best part of the book for me was the humor, it was funny, yet it didn't make fun of Anthony and his mental illness. |
Yukio
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, March 13, 2003 - 09:27 pm: |
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Tee C. Royal,
What did LaValle say in response to the absence of quotes, etc...? |
Yvette
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, March 13, 2003 - 10:27 pm: |
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Here goes,
1. Overall, I really enjoyed the book. It sort of reminded me of A Confederacy of Dunces. Anyway, I was impressed by the wittiness and humor of the author in tackling such a difficult topic. Anthony was one of those characters that takes you on a wild ride. One minute I loved him, the next I couldn't stand his obnoxiousness, but most of all, I just pitied him.
2. I didn't have much of a problem with his style of writing. Because of the short chapters and the frequent change of pace of the story, I was able to overlook it.
3. I think the author did a very good job of helping us to understand Anthony's world; however, I think he could have done a little more to help us to understand Anthony's mother and grandmother, who had some mental issues of their own.
4. I am definitely one who believes that you sometimes have to laugh to keep from crying. I have no problem with portraying such a serious topic in a humorous light. I never felt that the mental illness of the characters was being ridiculed. That was important to me. In fact, I see it as one of the many ways to inform individuals of the existence of mental illness.
5. It was a fairly fast-paced read for me. I felt that I had to stick with it or I might have otherwise sat it aside and not gotten back to it. Not because I didn't like it, but primarily because of the sadness associated with Anthony and his family's mental state(s). As I mentioned before, I wish he had developed a little history behind the mental conditions of the mother and grandmother. |
Troy
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, March 14, 2003 - 12:05 am: |
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FYI: We just published a review of The Estatic
http://www.aalbc.com/reviews/theecstatic.htm it is written by Thumper |
Thumper
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, March 14, 2003 - 02:48 pm: |
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Hello All,
I have some very good news. I received this morning. Victor LaValle, The Ecstatic, has just been nominated for the PEN/Faulkner award for fiction. I am pleased. It couldn't have happened to a finer book. |
Victor LaValle
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, March 21, 2003 - 02:25 am: |
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Hello everyone, it's so good to see the discussion that went on even long after the on-line discussion. It was a real honor to talk with you Thump and to meet Yukio and Yvette and now I've enjoyed reading the comments from akaivyleaf and GG. To steal a line from Jay-Z, You could have been reading any book last night, but you were reading mine. I appreciate that. (Old reference, I know, but it fits.)
I've been really interested to see everyone's reactions to the writing style for The Ecstatic. I knew I wanted to something different, although by different I don't mean purposefully difficult. I'm not one of those writers who thinks that a book has to be hard to understand in order to be "real" literature (although, since I've said that, I know mine was sometimes hard to understand!). I used Anthony's quick, sometimes frantic narrative voice mostly because I wanted to capture what it really feels like when someone is falling into the mania that comes with schizophrenia or bi-polar disorder (they're not the same, exactly, but close). When you're in one of those states you become hyperquick, thoughts bounce around at a pace that nearly goes beyond your own comprehension. You can do ten things at once and still feel like life is going too slowly, but of course to everyone around it seems illogical and, plain crazy. I wanted to show the inside of a man that, if you saw him on the bus, you'd probably move away and just shake your head.
Also, the lack of quotes came up a few times and I did want to address my reasons. I was in touch with Tee about this and told her the first reason was just a writer's choice that came from trying to figure out how to force the reader to slow down while reading the book. I know that when I'm reading I can have a tendency to skip slow parts by just scanning for the quote marks and figuring out the general logic of the section that way. But I knew that I was trying to get across an entire mind state and a troubled one at that, so I didn't want to let the reader off. The hard part about this, of course, is that it confuse people who aren't used to it and just plain annoy the hell out of people whether they're used to it or not. I felt it was a chance I had to take.
One thing that's come up on the board is the idea of the family's mental states. I think it's okay to state, straight out, that the grandmother is not mentally ill. Not in any way. But her actions could easily be taken that way and that was intentional too. Her actions at the end, as far as I saw them, are acts of desperation and such great sadness (she's now seen her daughter, son and grandson all fall to this illness) that she loses her mind. But it's different. Like people who spend too much time in a war and finally just snap. I was trying hard to show an entire family at the mercy of this unnameable, nearly unbeatable (though it can be managed) disease that people still don't understand too well. From the outside they all seem crazy, but each one is suffering in her or his own particular way. It doesn't affect one of them, it affects them all.
This is the first time I've posted so I don't know if I'm going on just way too long by now. There's so much more I'd like to say, but then doesn't every author want to just talk and talk about their own book? So, rather than being a blabbermouth, I'll just say thank you again.
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akaivyleaf
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, March 25, 2003 - 07:22 am: |
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I received the following e-mail from a list I subscribe to and thought I would share it here:
Victor LaValle: When Losing is Winning
The Ecstatic
By Victor LaValle
Anthony comes from a long line of schizophrenics. He’s managed to lead a normal life, but when he turns 23, everything begins to unravel. Enter the disturbed mind of an extraordinary man in the moving story of a family trying to cope with mental illness amid its own chaos.
Emerging author, Victor LaValle, knows his characters from the inside out. His debut novel, The Ecstatic, is a startling tale of love, horror, sex, insanity, faith, morbid obesity, and the modern American family. Anthony, the story's main character, is a 315-pound schizophrenic from Queens. Critics have praised LaValle for this revelatory story.
LaValle's own journey of losing weight and getting published is remarkable. He once weighed in at almost 400 pounds. At 5 feet, 10 inches, LaValle is now an average-sized attractive man. For more than 10 years, he was what doctors call morbidly obese. Four years ago, LaValle set a course to lose weight and has lost 150 pounds.
In the mid-1990s, when LaValle was at his heaviest, he knew on some level that he was self-anesthetizing. He often fooled himself into thinking that he just enjoyed food, ignoring that he had a serious problem.
Much anxiety was piled on LaValle, from an early age. His parents divorced when he was an infant and he was raised in Queens with his younger sister and Ugandan-born mother and grandmother. LaValle grew increasingly despaired by watching family members wrestle with schizophrenia and bipolar disease. He had to learn to avoid triggers that would escalate their behavior: Simply pointing a pen could be construed as a secret message. Some of LaValle's closest relatives had voluntary or forced hospitalizations.
LaValle was 14 years old when he started gaining considerable weight. This made his teenage years a time of increasing loneliness. He grew isolated, shutting himself in the basement with food and spent hours eating.
In 1990, LaValle began studying English at Cornell University. Paying for school with loans and grants, and working as a temporary laborer didn't leave money for extras, so he shoplifted Doritos and cookies by stuffing them down his size 50 pants.
During this time, he slowly lost touch with reality. He avoided going to a doctor about his problems. He was afraid that his family's medical history was catching up with him. After missing too many classes, he was kicked out of school for a semester between his junior and senior years. He remained in Ithaca, New York, doing janitorial work. Knowing that he needed to make something of himself, LaValle pulled himself together.
It was writing that ultimately saved LaValle. Having a place to leave his demons and getting to name them, helped ease some the author's deepest fears. Before working during the afternoons, he wrote on a campus library computer three mornings a week. Eventually he was allowed to finish his degree.
After graduating in 1995 from Cornell, he began a fine arts program at Columbia University. His book of short stories, Slapboxing with Jesus, is a compilation of stories from his master's thesis.
Right now, LaValle and his family are doing well. He lives in Brooklyn, New York and teaches writing at Columbia University. He's come a long way and it's clear that he has what it takes to go even further.
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