Here’s the book description from the publisher:
In Legend of a Suicide, his heartbreaking semi-autobiographical debut story-collection, David Vann relates the story of a young man trying to come to terms with the guilt and pain of his father’s suicide. The wild outback of the author’s native Alaska acts as the ideal backdrop for this collage of six stories—a novella and five shorts—and mirrors the author’s own psychological wilderness.
I feel out of place reviewing this book. At the bottom I have listed the links of other bloggers who were on this book tour, who also reviewed this book. Everyone loved it. Everyone has a blog devoted to books. I did not love this book. My blog is about total randomness. So maybe I am out of place here, but I hope I can still provide a interesting perspective to this review.
This book is a bunch of short stories put together. It helps to know this when you start the book, or you may be like me and very quickly get confused, until you read the back and realize, oh wow this is more then one story.
I will be honest, the 5 short stories in this book I found frustrating, and misplaced. They all have the same character and theme, mostly from the perspective of a young boy Roy. I found having this same character mixed up in all these different ways completely confusing and with each story new descriptions of the same character gave me a headache. I also found some grammar and editing errors which caused me to stumble over many sentences. I am no great editor or master of punctuation, but I did find these slip ups frustrating.
The novella in the middle was the only part I could say I enjoyed. There was enough story present to get involved with the characters and the description of Alaska was well done. I have been there twice and felt as he described the surroundings many of my actual memories flooded my mind. I liked this part of the book because it was unexpected, and I always enjoy twists. For a book written fictionally, but from the real fact of the authors fathers suicide, the novella Sukkwan Island gives a surprising peek into a raw, real, human state when a person suffers an unimaginable horror. The characters actions were shocking, but when you stop to think about it, also possible. If I had read only this part, only this novella and not the rest, I would recommend this book. But with the short stories at the beginning and then the massively confusing one at the end (more so confusing because of the relationship I built with the characters in the novella) I was angry and moody when the book ended. I actually vented to Keith about the irritating effect this book left on me.
So I would not tell you to go jump in your car and buy this book, especially if you have a sensitive stomach as there is some gore described in amazing detail (my kind of thing). But if you are up for something very different and possibly annoying you may want to give this one a try. Again, I think I am the only person to really not like this book on the tour, so I could just be crazy.
This book was mailed to me for free! from the publisher, the tour information is as follows:
David Vann’s TLC Book Tours TOUR STOPS:
Tuesday, May 11th: Book Magic
Thursday, May 13th: 1330v
Friday, May 14th: Regular Rumination
Monday, May 17th: My Reading Room
Wednesday, May 19th: Books Like Breathing
Tuesday, May 25th: Book Chatter
Wenesday, May 26th: Steph and Tony Investigate
Thursday, May 27th: Literate Housewife
Monday, May 31st: Nonsuch Book
Tuesday, June 1st: Hungry Like the Woolf
Thursday, June 3rd: Urban Green Farm
