Book Review: Vacation

Book #111 of 201

“If you think about it, everyone is behind someone and in front of someone. The nature of the sphere, right? No one gets left at the end or is forced to take the lead, and in this way you might say the shape of the earth is democratic. There are hesitations, of course. There are lines going in ways that you wouldn’t imagine. People are passed up or passed over. The tempo is irregular and messy. If you thought about the entirety of it, the legs, the back and forth, it’s a fiasco, an anarchy of steps. It’s impossible. And there’s no way to tidy it or make it in any way manageable, not in one’s imagination or anywhere else.” — Deb Olin Unferth,Vacation 

I was introduced to and loved Deb Olin Unferth through her contribution in McSweeney’s One Hundred and Forty-Five Stories in a Small Box. This, her first novel, was also published by McSweeney’s (and heartily recommended by Zet) so I tracked it down. I’m actually not exaggerating when I say I purchased what was (at the time) the only copy of this book in stores in central London. Perhaps it was because it was before the paperback arrived, perhaps it’s because very few stores carry McSweeney’s books (both grave errors), but, anyway. That was that.

I really, really love her writing style and the detail she inserts that make you feel just a little off-kilter. I really enjoyed the book — I loved the idea of it, although I did feel like parts of it were disjointed in an uncomfortable way. I like chop-and-change when it’s pulled off well, but I felt like I was waiting for the other shoe to drop some of the time, which I didn’t particularly enjoy. Of course, it’s entirely possible she meant for us to feel that way. 

Despite that, though, I really enjoyed the book and I will happily devour anything else Unferth decides to tackle. Her writing is just gorgeous, and I’m curious to see where she goes next.