Monday, September 8, 2008
Reaction to the Novel Oracle Night
I found the novel, Oracle Night, very entertaining and fascinating to read. Although simple and an easy read, it carries mystery that comes with the reality of the blue notebook that truly captures the reader, in my opinion. I very much enjoyed the mystical element of the notebook and how it had the ability to bring Sydney to a world of his own and make him lose touch with reality or so he thought. For example, he explains to his best friend, John Trause, that he thinks the notebook is taking control of him in his mind whenever he writes in it: "I know. Its all in my head. I'm not saying it isn't, but ever since I bought the notebook, everything's gone out of whack. I can't tell if I'm the one who's using the notebook or if the notebook's been using me." I also enjoyed the story that Sydney was writing and how it is linked in one way or another to his own life, experiences, and love life. I did find interesting how he made his main character, Nick Bowen, decide to break free from his "dull" life and flee to a remote place, Kansas. I found it very random how decides he wants to turn over a new leaf and start a new life (without his wife and old job) after a gargoyle statue nearly crushes hi to death. The main point is that the novel was able to keep me turning its pages which is quite rare when it comes to school assigned books.
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3 comments:
I agree with everything you said, except about Nick Bowen's decision to start a new life being random. I think the idea of "restarting" one's life is relevant to the theme of time and how it is divided into the past present and future. Some characters such as John Trause's brother in law prefer to dwell on the past, like how he was very occupied with the 3D viewer. On the other hand, some characters such as Nick Bowen choose to forget their past and start life from scratch.
I couldnt dissagree more with your post. i found that the dual layered plot did not make it a "simple and easy read" and found the mysticism surrounding the blue notebook pointless and unexplored. Although i do find it intresting how someone can decide to abandon there old life as you did i was dissapointed in how it ended for him with an unfinished tale.
I have to agree with Sirena, having a sudden epiphany and completely changing one's life is a very significant element to the theme. Nick and Flitcraft, having discovered that life is unreliable and fleeting, decide to search for meaning by restarting theirs. If anything, I found this story-in-a-story compelling and insightful instead of random. I believe that it was a clever supplement to the plot and a definite page-turner. When John and Sid are discussing the notebook, its influence on Sid's writing is truly demonstrated within that quote - good choice! Sid seems desperate to escape its clasp. I agree that this could be the most interesting school assigned book that we've had to read so far.
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