He’s got a gift this one… knows exactly how to tap you on the forehead with a sentence hammer, leaving you momentarily stunned as your mind reels through the possibilities suddenly presented. Didn’t expect the last story to venture into science fiction, but it did, and it works.
The overwhelming theme here is humanity as it comes into contact with technology. The three tales presented dove-tail nicely, repeated themes, names, and perhaps most interestingly: Walt Whitman exists in all the stories, kind of like a ghost in the machine.
Title: Specimen Days : A Novel
Author: Michael Cunningham
LC Rating:
Michael Cunningham is of course most famous for his novel The Hours, which is an exceptional piece of writing. I didn’t think Specimen Days was as tightly constructed, but he does have a great way with words, and a deft hand in characterization. Myself, I’m always enamoured with interconnected stories, and these three stories find common ground all over the place.
I felt like Specimen Days was right on the verge of being exceptional, and there are a great number of moments that shine, especially in the opening story, but I think the kind of statement almost expressed here could have found clearer definition. All that aside, it’s a very good book, much better than most of what’s thrust out into the public sphere under that shifty header called ‘literature’.