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The Sweet Hereafter
A small town's response to the inexplicable loss of its children in a school bus accident.
416 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1991
About the author
Russell Banks
101 books938 followersRussell Banks was a member of the International Parliament of Writers and a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters. His work has been translated into twenty languages and has received numerous international prizes and awards. He has written fiction, and more recently, non-fiction, with Dreaming up America. His main works include the novels Continental Drift, Rule of the Bone, Cloudsplitter, The Sweet Hereafter, and Affliction. The latter two novels were each made into feature films in 1997.
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August 13, 2023
IL DOLCE ALDILÀ
Non c’è proprio nulla di dolce nel domani che Russell Banks narra. Niente di dolce neppure nell’aldilà, come indica il titolo originale: The Sweet Hereafter.
E più che un aldilà, c’è un di qua e un di là, un prima e un dopo. In mezzo, a fare da spartiacque, l’incidente: lo scuolabus che esce di strada, rotola e finisce in un’enorme pozza ghiacciata, prendendosi la vita di quattordici bambini, lasciandone una sulla sedia a rotelle, la più bella della classe, una futura Miss America, e altri del tutto incolumi.
È proprio la quattordicenne Nicole, che sarebbe potuta diventare Miss America, è proprio lei il punto di svolta: è la sua voce quella che, per quanto sommessa, urla e fa più male, cambia le carte in tavola, sancisce la verità. Almeno quella processuale.
Lei che è stata ‘fortunata’, ha salvato la vita: ma ha perso la spina dorsale.
Ian Holm è l’avvocato. Qui assiste alla deposizione di Nicole/Sarah Polley.
Il romanzo è affidato alla voce di quattro personaggi principali: Dolores che guidava lo scuolabus (da cinquanta posti, uno bello grande); Bill, il padre dei gemelli morti; la giovane Nicole; e l’avvocato venuto da New York a far causa alle varie amministrazioni, locale, statale, federale.
Ha ragione la quarta di copertina che tira in ballo il regista Robert Altman: ci sono echi del suo cinema, a cominciare da Short Cuts – America oggi, quell’America minore e dimenticata, quietamente disperata nell’apparente tranquillità della sua routine quotidiana.
E ha ragione lo stesso Banks quando dice che negli Stati Uniti, da una ventina d’anni, qualcosa di terribile è accaduto ai nostri bambini. Li abbiamo persi..
E una comunità che perde i bambini perde l’anima, si legge in queste pagine.
Bruce Greenwood è Bill Ansel, il meglio fico del bigoncio. Chissà perché Egoyan ha voluto toglierli un incisivo.
L’America è in uno stato di crisi profonda, antropologica, in cui le istituzioni di base (famiglia, scuola, chiesa, villaggio, comunità) sono crollate le une dopo le altre. Con la perdita dei nostri bambini, l’avvenire passa dietro di noi, e ci lascia di fronte al dolce domani illusorio.
La metafora è suggestiva, e forse anche un po’ esasperata.
Per restare a cavallo tra domani e aldilà, cos’è peggio, la tragedia di morire, o il dolore di sopravvivere? La morte che si porta via tuo figlio ancora bambino o la vita che ti tiene in piedi e ti fa sopravvivere?
Poco prima dell’incidente.
Il film di Atom Egoyan, regista festivaliero che generalmente trovo un po’ sopravvalutato, è forse uno dei suoi migliori. Anche se io non ho apprezzato alcuni aspetti cambiati o introdotti ex novo quasi a voler rimarcare l’impresa autoriale del regista armeno-canadese, ha comunque la sua forza, sia visiva che narrativa. Per Egoyan l’incidente in sé è ben meno cruciale che nel romanzo, lo mostra a metà film senza indulgere in effetti speciali, visto quasi di sfondo: la sua attenzione è sulle conseguenze, sul senso di comunità che si disgrega, sulle motivazioni dell’avvocato che qui diventa il personaggio centrale.
Dolores, l’autista dello scuolabus, interpretata da Gabrielle Rose.
Nicole con suo padre.
Non c’è proprio nulla di dolce nel domani che Russell Banks narra. Niente di dolce neppure nell’aldilà, come indica il titolo originale: The Sweet Hereafter.
E più che un aldilà, c’è un di qua e un di là, un prima e un dopo. In mezzo, a fare da spartiacque, l’incidente: lo scuolabus che esce di strada, rotola e finisce in un’enorme pozza ghiacciata, prendendosi la vita di quattordici bambini, lasciandone una sulla sedia a rotelle, la più bella della classe, una futura Miss America, e altri del tutto incolumi.
È proprio la quattordicenne Nicole, che sarebbe potuta diventare Miss America, è proprio lei il punto di svolta: è la sua voce quella che, per quanto sommessa, urla e fa più male, cambia le carte in tavola, sancisce la verità. Almeno quella processuale.
Lei che è stata ‘fortunata’, ha salvato la vita: ma ha perso la spina dorsale.
Ian Holm è l’avvocato. Qui assiste alla deposizione di Nicole/Sarah Polley.
Il romanzo è affidato alla voce di quattro personaggi principali: Dolores che guidava lo scuolabus (da cinquanta posti, uno bello grande); Bill, il padre dei gemelli morti; la giovane Nicole; e l’avvocato venuto da New York a far causa alle varie amministrazioni, locale, statale, federale.
Ha ragione la quarta di copertina che tira in ballo il regista Robert Altman: ci sono echi del suo cinema, a cominciare da Short Cuts – America oggi, quell’America minore e dimenticata, quietamente disperata nell’apparente tranquillità della sua routine quotidiana.
E ha ragione lo stesso Banks quando dice che negli Stati Uniti, da una ventina d’anni, qualcosa di terribile è accaduto ai nostri bambini. Li abbiamo persi..
E una comunità che perde i bambini perde l’anima, si legge in queste pagine.
Bruce Greenwood è Bill Ansel, il meglio fico del bigoncio. Chissà perché Egoyan ha voluto toglierli un incisivo.
L’America è in uno stato di crisi profonda, antropologica, in cui le istituzioni di base (famiglia, scuola, chiesa, villaggio, comunità) sono crollate le une dopo le altre. Con la perdita dei nostri bambini, l’avvenire passa dietro di noi, e ci lascia di fronte al dolce domani illusorio.
La metafora è suggestiva, e forse anche un po’ esasperata.
Per restare a cavallo tra domani e aldilà, cos’è peggio, la tragedia di morire, o il dolore di sopravvivere? La morte che si porta via tuo figlio ancora bambino o la vita che ti tiene in piedi e ti fa sopravvivere?
Poco prima dell’incidente.
Il film di Atom Egoyan, regista festivaliero che generalmente trovo un po’ sopravvalutato, è forse uno dei suoi migliori. Anche se io non ho apprezzato alcuni aspetti cambiati o introdotti ex novo quasi a voler rimarcare l’impresa autoriale del regista armeno-canadese, ha comunque la sua forza, sia visiva che narrativa. Per Egoyan l’incidente in sé è ben meno cruciale che nel romanzo, lo mostra a metà film senza indulgere in effetti speciali, visto quasi di sfondo: la sua attenzione è sulle conseguenze, sul senso di comunità che si disgrega, sulle motivazioni dell’avvocato che qui diventa il personaggio centrale.
Dolores, l’autista dello scuolabus, interpretata da Gabrielle Rose.
Nicole con suo padre.
April 17, 2018
Recipe for Russell Bank's Sweet Hereafter
Ingredients required
17 dead teenagers and little kids
2 living teenagers
1 bus
1 bus driver (female)
1 river
1 road
Twenty-five large scoops of ice and snow
Four bags of bad weather (can be found at most supermarkets)
1 small town
Approx 35 parents
Reporters (a handful will do)
2 lawyers
1 oz morality
10 oz sentimentality
1 box soapflakes
4 boxes Kleenex
Method
Sprinkle the ice and snow on the road. Tilt the road 25 degrees, with the edge of the road close to the edge of the river (this is called the banks). Add the teenagers and the driver to the bus and leave for 20 minutes. Set the bus at the top of the slope which by now should be fairly well covered in ice and snow. (If you have any strong wind, you can introduce that to taste). Allow the bus to roll backwards into the river. Stir. Wait for the bus and the teenagers to settle.
Add the morality, the sentimentality and the soapflakes. Beat with wooden spoon for a while.
Now add parents and lawyers to the mix. Wait for them to settle. This may take a while.
Ingredients required
17 dead teenagers and little kids
2 living teenagers
1 bus
1 bus driver (female)
1 river
1 road
Twenty-five large scoops of ice and snow
Four bags of bad weather (can be found at most supermarkets)
1 small town
Approx 35 parents
Reporters (a handful will do)
2 lawyers
1 oz morality
10 oz sentimentality
1 box soapflakes
4 boxes Kleenex
Method
Sprinkle the ice and snow on the road. Tilt the road 25 degrees, with the edge of the road close to the edge of the river (this is called the banks). Add the teenagers and the driver to the bus and leave for 20 minutes. Set the bus at the top of the slope which by now should be fairly well covered in ice and snow. (If you have any strong wind, you can introduce that to taste). Allow the bus to roll backwards into the river. Stir. Wait for the bus and the teenagers to settle.
Add the morality, the sentimentality and the soapflakes. Beat with wooden spoon for a while.
Now add parents and lawyers to the mix. Wait for them to settle. This may take a while.
March 12, 2019
Θυμάμαι είχα επισκεφτεί μια παλιά μου συμμαθήτρια που σπούδαζε στην Αθήνα το μακρινό 1997. Είχε μόλις βγει το Γλυκό Πεπρωμένο στις αίθουσες και την είδαμε σε ένα σινεμά στην Καλλιθέα (;).
Σοκ. 21 χρόνια μετά, ακόμη θυμάμαι ένα σχολικό να γλιστράει στο χιόνι. Μακρινό πλάνο. Το σχολικό βουλιάζει σχεδόν αθόρυβα στην παγωμένη λίμνη. Κάποιες μακρινές παιδικές κραυγές. Κατ.
Στο διάλειμμα ένας άντρας από ένα ζευγάρι στα μπροστινά καθίσματα ανακάλυπτε με σοκ το μυστικό στην οικογένεια της επιζήσασας.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7w-d...
Προμηθεύτηκα σχεδόν αμέσως το σχεδόν απόκοσμο σάουντρακ το οποίο έλιωσα
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WupUR...
και αυτό το βιβλίο. 21 χρόνια σχεδόν έμεινε αδιάβαστο στην βιβλιοθήκη μου (ξεκίνησα να το διαβάζω, νομίζω πέρισυ, αλλά αρρώστησα και το παράτησα). Στο μεταξύ κυκλοφόρησε η νέα έκδοση με τον τίτλο της ταινίας "Το γλυκό πεπρωμένο". Πως μεταφράζεις αλήθεια το hereafter ; Στα γαλλικά είχε κυκλοφορήσει ως "De beaux lendemains". Τα "όμορφα επαύριο"; (sic)
Τι ειρωνεία που είχα δει αυτή την ταινία με την συμμαθήτρια μου. Χαθήκαμε σχεδόν μια 20ετία, πήγα στον γάμο της, και αυτό ήταν όλο. Για να μάθω πέρυσι, λίγο πριν τις γιορτές, ότι και αυτή σχεδόν αθόρυβα γλίστρησε σε μια στροφή, μεθυσμένη, γυρνώντας από την παράνομη σχέση που είχε, λίγα μέτρα πριν το σπίτι της. Γιατί ; Τόσο άδικα. Τι ειρωνεία, συγκέντρωσε κάποια από τα βασικά θέματα της ταινίας και του βιβλίου. Η κλειστή επαρχία με τα μυστικά της, η συζυγική απιστία, το ποτό, το ατύχημα, ένα παιδί που φεύγει. Γιατί ακόμη και στα 40 σου είσαι παιδί. Και πηγαίνοντας σπίτι της για τα απαραίτητα συλλυπητήρια με τους βουβούς γονείς της , ξαναγύρισα 21 χρόνια πίσω.
Λίγα χρόνια μετά την ταινία και το βιβλίο, ένα χωριό παραδίπλα θα ζούσε το δικό του Γλυκό Πεπρωμένο, με μαθητές να έβρισκαν τον θάνατο.
Fast forward 21 χρόνια μετά, όλα αυτά που διαπραγματεύεται το βιβλίο , από ατυχήματα μέχρι τα πιο σκοτεινά μυστικά του τα έχω δει, τίποτα δεν με σοκάρει πια-τα βλέπω λίγο από απόσταση με μπρεχτική αποστασιοποίηση. Αν και δεν κατάλαβα ούτε στην ταινία-ίσως πρέπει να την ξαναδώ,μάλλον δεν θυμάμαι-ούτε στο βιβλίο γιατί η βασική μάρτυρας και επιζήσασα είπε ψέματα, υπάρχει και σχετικό κομμάτι "Why I lied" στο σάουντρακ. Ο "επίσημος" λόγος είναι βλακώδης. Μαντεύω έναν άλλο πιο σκοτεινό, αλλά θα πρέπει να κάνω σπόιλερ.
Μεγάλο βιβλίο, μεγάλη ταινία.
Και σχεδόν απόλυτα πιστή η ταινία στο βιβλίο. Η προσθήκη του The Pied Pipper ; Αριστούργημα.
Σοκ. 21 χρόνια μετά, ακόμη θυμάμαι ένα σχολικό να γλιστράει στο χιόνι. Μακρινό πλάνο. Το σχολικό βουλιάζει σχεδόν αθόρυβα στην παγωμένη λίμνη. Κάποιες μακρινές παιδικές κραυγές. Κατ.
Στο διάλειμμα ένας άντρας από ένα ζευγάρι στα μπροστινά καθίσματα ανακάλυπτε με σοκ το μυστικό στην οικογένεια της επιζήσασας.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7w-d...
Προμηθεύτηκα σχεδόν αμέσως το σχεδόν απόκοσμο σάουντρακ το οποίο έλιωσα
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WupUR...
και αυτό το βιβλίο. 21 χρόνια σχεδόν έμεινε αδιάβαστο στην βιβλιοθήκη μου (ξεκίνησα να το διαβάζω, νομίζω πέρισυ, αλλά αρρώστησα και το παράτησα). Στο μεταξύ κυκλοφόρησε η νέα έκδοση με τον τίτλο της ταινίας "Το γλυκό πεπρωμένο". Πως μεταφράζεις αλήθεια το hereafter ; Στα γαλλικά είχε κυκλοφορήσει ως "De beaux lendemains". Τα "όμορφα επαύριο"; (sic)
Τι ειρωνεία που είχα δει αυτή την ταινία με την συμμαθήτρια μου. Χαθήκαμε σχεδόν μια 20ετία, πήγα στον γάμο της, και αυτό ήταν όλο. Για να μάθω πέρυσι, λίγο πριν τις γιορτές, ότι και αυτή σχεδόν αθόρυβα γλίστρησε σε μια στροφή, μεθυσμένη, γυρνώντας από την παράνομη σχέση που είχε, λίγα μέτρα πριν το σπίτι της. Γιατί ; Τόσο άδικα. Τι ειρωνεία, συγκέντρωσε κάποια από τα βασικά θέματα της ταινίας και του βιβλίου. Η κλειστή επαρχία με τα μυστικά της, η συζυγική απιστία, το ποτό, το ατύχημα, ένα παιδί που φεύγει. Γιατί ακόμη και στα 40 σου είσαι παιδί. Και πηγαίνοντας σπίτι της για τα απαραίτητα συλλυπητήρια με τους βουβούς γονείς της , ξαναγύρισα 21 χρόνια πίσω.
Λίγα χρόνια μετά την ταινία και το βιβλίο, ένα χωριό παραδίπλα θα ζούσε το δικό του Γλυκό Πεπρωμένο, με μαθητές να έβρισκαν τον θάνατο.
Fast forward 21 χρόνια μετά, όλα αυτά που διαπραγματεύεται το βιβλίο , από ατυχήματα μέχρι τα πιο σκοτεινά μυστικά του τα έχω δει, τίποτα δεν με σοκάρει πια-τα βλέπω λίγο από απόσταση με μπρεχτική αποστασιοποίηση. Αν και δεν κατάλαβα ούτε στην ταινία-ίσως πρέπει να την ξαναδώ,μάλλον δεν θυμάμαι-ούτε στο βιβλίο γιατί η βασική μάρτυρας και επιζήσασα είπε ψέματα, υπάρχει και σχετικό κομμάτι "Why I lied" στο σάουντρακ. Ο "επίσημος" λόγος είναι βλακώδης. Μαντεύω έναν άλλο πιο σκοτεινό, αλλά θα πρέπει να κάνω σπόιλερ.
Μεγάλο βιβλίο, μεγάλη ταινία.
Και σχεδόν απόλυτα πιστή η ταινία στο βιβλίο. Η προσθήκη του The Pied Pipper ; Αριστούργημα.
January 2, 2019
Σε μια μικρή κωμόπολη της Αμερικής, στις αρχες της δεκαετίας του ‘90, ένα σχολικό λεωφορείο θα ντελαπαρει με αποτέλεσμα 14 παιδιά να χάσουν τη ζωή του! Κι από αυτή τη στιγμή αποδιοργανώνεται ολόκληρη η πόλη! Η αφήγηση κινείται γύρω από το τροχαίο και πως αυτό άλλαξε όλα τα δεδομένα στις ζωές των ανθρώπων! Τέσσερις αφηγητές (ο πατέρας δυο εκ των άτυχων παιδιων, η οδηγός του σχολικού, μια έφηβη που επενέβαινε στο σχολικό αλλά σώθηκε κι ένας δικηγόρος) περιγράφουν την κατάσταση πριν και μετά το ατύχημα!
Κι εδώ προκύπτει το ερώτημα: μετά από ένα τέτοιο γεγονός είναι η οργή και η ανάγκη για εκδίκηση που θα φέρει την λύτρωση ή η απραξία που θα φέρει ένα οριστικό κλείσιμο;
Και τελικά είναι το μοιραίο γεγονός που αποδιοργάνωσε την πόλη ή τα μυστικά που υπήρχαν κρυμμένα στις ντουλάπες και ο καθένας έπρεπε να τα αντιμετωπίσει;
Αν και το θέμα του φαίνεται βαρύ, είναι εύκολο αφήγημα, απλή γλώσσα, όμορφες περιγραφές, καμία εικόνα απο το ατύχημα κάθε αυτό!
Κι εδώ προκύπτει το ερώτημα: μετά από ένα τέτοιο γεγονός είναι η οργή και η ανάγκη για εκδίκηση που θα φέρει την λύτρωση ή η απραξία που θα φέρει ένα οριστικό κλείσιμο;
Και τελικά είναι το μοιραίο γεγονός που αποδιοργάνωσε την πόλη ή τα μυστικά που υπήρχαν κρυμμένα στις ντουλάπες και ο καθένας έπρεπε να τα αντιμετωπίσει;
Αν και το θέμα του φαίνεται βαρύ, είναι εύκολο αφήγημα, απλή γλώσσα, όμορφες περιγραφές, καμία εικόνα απο το ατύχημα κάθε αυτό!
May 19, 2019
Το δυστύχημα που συμβαίνει με το σχολικό λεωφορείο,ταράζει τους κατοίκους της μικρής πόλης.
Ο συγγραφέας, χρησιμοποιώντας διαφορετικούς αφηγητές, φέρνει στο φως το ερώτημα που σε τέτοιες τραγωδίες θέτουν οι πρωταγωνιστές: ποιος έφταιξε άραγε; ήταν ανθρώπινο λάθος; υπάρχουν άλλοι υπαίτιοι κι αν ναι, ποιοι ειναι αυτοί;
Ο συγγραφέας, χρησιμοποιώντας διαφορετικούς αφηγητές, φέρνει στο φως το ερώτημα που σε τέτοιες τραγωδίες θέτουν οι πρωταγωνιστές: ποιος έφταιξε άραγε; ήταν ανθρώπινο λάθος; υπάρχουν άλλοι υπαίτιοι κι αν ναι, ποιοι ειναι αυτοί;
November 19, 2017
When is lying acceptable? Or even an act of heroism? Banks answers: when it is for the common good.
Writing-wise, there is nothing special in this book. The prose is simple, readable and sometimes even boring. There are a few meaningful verses but none that can be gleamed as original or hits you really hard. However, what's lacking in verse is adequately augmented by the thought-provoking questions that this book opens to the reader and in the end, offers answers as well.
When is an accident an accident? If the criminal is well-liked, does the community have the right not to push charges? Do lawyers really mean it when they say that "you have to file a case because it can also happen to other people" or they are just after their commission? If you made a wrong choice in marrying someone, do you have the right to commit adultery? If you are a sex abuse victim, do you have the right to remain silent? How do you comfort yourself if you caused the death of many people especially if they are innocent children?
This is a story of a quiet, laid-back town in Upstate New York. One January morning, a school bus tumbled down in a sandpit full of cold icy water. Aboard the school bus were 44 schoolchildren. Fourteen of those at the back, wearing their seat belts, drowned. The driver, Dolores Driscoll, a late middle-age black woman survives. Among those children who also survived was Nichole Burnell and she was just sitting right at the back of Dolores and she now claims that she was looking at the speedometer when the accident happened.
The story is told my 4 narrators: (1) Dolores Driscoll tells what happened in that tragic morning including the family background of the 14 dead schoolchildren; (2) Billy Ansel, an ex-Vietnam soldier who is currently running an auto repair. He is a single father of twins who also perished in the accident. He was driving his pickup following the school bus quite closely but he was daydreaming about having sex with one of the victim's mother who he is having an illicit affair with; (3) Mitchell Stephens is the New York negligence lawyer. He is one of the many lawyers who rushed out to the town in order to convince the families of the victims to file mass lawsuit; and (4) Nicole Burnell who is a local teenage beauty. She survives the accident but her lower body becomes paralyzed.
According to Wiki, Banks based this on a true story that happened in Alton, Texas in 1989. A Coca-Cola truck hit a Mission school bus. 21 schoolchildren drowned and 49 were injured. The families of the victims filed a mass lawsuit due to the instigation of the many different lawyers. "Many think that the money received from the lawsuits only brought the town trouble," Wiki ends.
Easy to read. I finished this in one day. Yet the many moral questions that the book leaves the reader will stay and linger in one's mind for many years to come.
Thank you, 501 for recommending this book to me.
Writing-wise, there is nothing special in this book. The prose is simple, readable and sometimes even boring. There are a few meaningful verses but none that can be gleamed as original or hits you really hard. However, what's lacking in verse is adequately augmented by the thought-provoking questions that this book opens to the reader and in the end, offers answers as well.
When is an accident an accident? If the criminal is well-liked, does the community have the right not to push charges? Do lawyers really mean it when they say that "you have to file a case because it can also happen to other people" or they are just after their commission? If you made a wrong choice in marrying someone, do you have the right to commit adultery? If you are a sex abuse victim, do you have the right to remain silent? How do you comfort yourself if you caused the death of many people especially if they are innocent children?
This is a story of a quiet, laid-back town in Upstate New York. One January morning, a school bus tumbled down in a sandpit full of cold icy water. Aboard the school bus were 44 schoolchildren. Fourteen of those at the back, wearing their seat belts, drowned. The driver, Dolores Driscoll, a late middle-age black woman survives. Among those children who also survived was Nichole Burnell and she was just sitting right at the back of Dolores and she now claims that she was looking at the speedometer when the accident happened.
The story is told my 4 narrators: (1) Dolores Driscoll tells what happened in that tragic morning including the family background of the 14 dead schoolchildren; (2) Billy Ansel, an ex-Vietnam soldier who is currently running an auto repair. He is a single father of twins who also perished in the accident. He was driving his pickup following the school bus quite closely but he was daydreaming about having sex with one of the victim's mother who he is having an illicit affair with; (3) Mitchell Stephens is the New York negligence lawyer. He is one of the many lawyers who rushed out to the town in order to convince the families of the victims to file mass lawsuit; and (4) Nicole Burnell who is a local teenage beauty. She survives the accident but her lower body becomes paralyzed.
According to Wiki, Banks based this on a true story that happened in Alton, Texas in 1989. A Coca-Cola truck hit a Mission school bus. 21 schoolchildren drowned and 49 were injured. The families of the victims filed a mass lawsuit due to the instigation of the many different lawyers. "Many think that the money received from the lawsuits only brought the town trouble," Wiki ends.
Easy to read. I finished this in one day. Yet the many moral questions that the book leaves the reader will stay and linger in one's mind for many years to come.
Thank you, 501 for recommending this book to me.
August 25, 2024
Un cane: di sicuro quel che ho visto era un cane. O forse ho solo creduto di vederlo. Ormai stava nevicando forte, e quando nevica può succedere di vedere cose che non ci sono, o non sono proprio lì, però magari non riesci a vedere qualcosa che invece c’è, e allora per Dio quando vedi qualcosa devi reagire e basta, sbagliando per istinto materno, se capite cosa voglio dire. Questo mi hanno insegnato quando sono diventata autista, ma è anche il mio temperamento di madre di due figli adulti e di moglie di un invalido, e così quando mi sbaglio se non altro sbaglio dalla parte degli angeli.
Lo scuolabus esce di strada, muoiono quattordici bambini. La vita prima e dopo l’incidente viene raccontata prima dall’autista, poi dal padre di due delle vittime, da un avvocato e da una ragazzina superstite. Emerge un quadro dell’America che sta perdendo i propri figli, dove le famiglie, vittime della crisi e oppresse dai debiti, nascondono violenze, tradimenti e segreti inconfessabili.
Quattro stelle piene che diventano qualcosa di più grazie al racconto del padre: alcolizzato, disperato ma lucido nella sua analisi.
L’unico modo in cui potevo continuare a vivere era credere che non stavo vivendo. Non riesco a spiegarlo; posso solo raccontarvi come mi sentivo. Penso che molte persone del paese provassero la stessa cosa. Con quell’incidente la morte è entrata in permanenza nelle nostre vite. E mentre alcune persone si sono sforzate di negarlo, come sembra aver fatto la povera Dolores Driscoll, o si sono trasferite in qualche altro posto dello Stato e hanno tentato di ricominciare da capo, come i Lamston, o hanno cercato di credere che la morte era sempre stata in agguato, come Risa, sostenendo che non c’era nessuna differenza tra prima e adesso (un’altra forma di negazione, in fondo), per me, e forse per alcuni dei ragazzi che sono sopravvissuti all’incidente, come Nichole Burnell e i Bigelow e i Baptiste e i piccoli tristi Bilodeau i cui fratelli e sorelle maggiori sono rimasti uccisi, per noi c’è stata la vita, la vera vita, la vita reale, indipendentemente da quanto brutta potesse sembrare, solo prima dell’incidente, e nulla di quanto è accaduto dopo l’incidente poteva somigliare ad essa per nessun aspetto sostanziale. E’ stato come se fossimo morti anche noi quando l’autobus è uscito di strada ed è saltato oltre il terrapieno fino alla cava di sabbia piena di acqua ghiacciata, e adesso siamo momentaneamente finiti in una specie di purgatorio, in attesa di essere trasferiti nel luogo dove ci hanno preceduti gli altri morti.
Lo scuolabus esce di strada, muoiono quattordici bambini. La vita prima e dopo l’incidente viene raccontata prima dall’autista, poi dal padre di due delle vittime, da un avvocato e da una ragazzina superstite. Emerge un quadro dell’America che sta perdendo i propri figli, dove le famiglie, vittime della crisi e oppresse dai debiti, nascondono violenze, tradimenti e segreti inconfessabili.
Quattro stelle piene che diventano qualcosa di più grazie al racconto del padre: alcolizzato, disperato ma lucido nella sua analisi.
L’unico modo in cui potevo continuare a vivere era credere che non stavo vivendo. Non riesco a spiegarlo; posso solo raccontarvi come mi sentivo. Penso che molte persone del paese provassero la stessa cosa. Con quell’incidente la morte è entrata in permanenza nelle nostre vite. E mentre alcune persone si sono sforzate di negarlo, come sembra aver fatto la povera Dolores Driscoll, o si sono trasferite in qualche altro posto dello Stato e hanno tentato di ricominciare da capo, come i Lamston, o hanno cercato di credere che la morte era sempre stata in agguato, come Risa, sostenendo che non c’era nessuna differenza tra prima e adesso (un’altra forma di negazione, in fondo), per me, e forse per alcuni dei ragazzi che sono sopravvissuti all’incidente, come Nichole Burnell e i Bigelow e i Baptiste e i piccoli tristi Bilodeau i cui fratelli e sorelle maggiori sono rimasti uccisi, per noi c’è stata la vita, la vera vita, la vita reale, indipendentemente da quanto brutta potesse sembrare, solo prima dell’incidente, e nulla di quanto è accaduto dopo l’incidente poteva somigliare ad essa per nessun aspetto sostanziale. E’ stato come se fossimo morti anche noi quando l’autobus è uscito di strada ed è saltato oltre il terrapieno fino alla cava di sabbia piena di acqua ghiacciata, e adesso siamo momentaneamente finiti in una specie di purgatorio, in attesa di essere trasferiti nel luogo dove ci hanno preceduti gli altri morti.
January 13, 2013
A remarkable and remarkably simple piece of literature that spawned a remarkable movie.
Russell Banks, Russell Banks, Russell Banks. If I write his name enough it might conjure a complete sentence from my mind, as though his name alone might rub some of his magic off on me and I could explain this novel to you. Russell Banks. It's not working.
I just read Affliction which a truly incredible movie was adapted from, adapted so well that it seemed to make the novel a non-event for me, yet I knew that Banks had something special, a skill, a voice that could create something wonderful from mere words on paper and being completely unsatisfied I plunged straight in to his other novel that was adapted in to an award winning movie, naturally. It could have been a mistake but I believe my decision was vindicated by just how urgently I devoured this one.
Told in five parts in the first person by four of the major characters in the aftermath of the tragic crash of a school bus Banks slowly creates a multi-layered understanding of the event and the way people cope with tragedy. To tell you much more than that would be to act as a spoiler and I'd hate to ruin this for you. The four people you meet are Dolores the bus driver, Billy a bereaved parent, Mitchell the big city lawyer and Nichole a child survivor. It's loosely based on true events, a school bus did crash in Texas in the late 1980s and the townsfolk went crazy with litigation.
I have seen and enjoyed the Atom Egoyan movie several times and never found it lacking in anything but in this instance the novel really does add an extra power and understanding to the film. From the opening paragraph as we meet Dolores I was hooked, the distinct voice of this chatterbox shone through loud and clear and she is the perfect set of eyes and ears to learn about the tragedy that will unfold and be retold in the following 250 pages. The distinct voice of Dolores is then added to by three more quite distinct characters and this is apparent from the opening paragraphs of each subsequent section. The most important literary trick that Banks pulls off in this novel is that at no point are you confused over which character is narrating which section AND on top of that you are led towards sympathising with each of the characters despite their conflicting emotions and intentions with a subtlety that cinema will always struggle to match.
There's only one reason for the lack of full marks in this case and that was the disappointing final section, it felt like an unnecessary addition to the story and a way to moralise at the reader rather than let them take from the story what they will. I don't like being told the answer to these problems by an author and to have one attempt to do so simply highlights the conceit of the literary fiction writer.
But don't let that stop you from reading this book or seeing the movie, both are splendid and worth your time.
Russell Banks, Russell Banks, Russell Banks. If I write his name enough it might conjure a complete sentence from my mind, as though his name alone might rub some of his magic off on me and I could explain this novel to you. Russell Banks. It's not working.
I just read Affliction which a truly incredible movie was adapted from, adapted so well that it seemed to make the novel a non-event for me, yet I knew that Banks had something special, a skill, a voice that could create something wonderful from mere words on paper and being completely unsatisfied I plunged straight in to his other novel that was adapted in to an award winning movie, naturally. It could have been a mistake but I believe my decision was vindicated by just how urgently I devoured this one.
Told in five parts in the first person by four of the major characters in the aftermath of the tragic crash of a school bus Banks slowly creates a multi-layered understanding of the event and the way people cope with tragedy. To tell you much more than that would be to act as a spoiler and I'd hate to ruin this for you. The four people you meet are Dolores the bus driver, Billy a bereaved parent, Mitchell the big city lawyer and Nichole a child survivor. It's loosely based on true events, a school bus did crash in Texas in the late 1980s and the townsfolk went crazy with litigation.
I have seen and enjoyed the Atom Egoyan movie several times and never found it lacking in anything but in this instance the novel really does add an extra power and understanding to the film. From the opening paragraph as we meet Dolores I was hooked, the distinct voice of this chatterbox shone through loud and clear and she is the perfect set of eyes and ears to learn about the tragedy that will unfold and be retold in the following 250 pages. The distinct voice of Dolores is then added to by three more quite distinct characters and this is apparent from the opening paragraphs of each subsequent section. The most important literary trick that Banks pulls off in this novel is that at no point are you confused over which character is narrating which section AND on top of that you are led towards sympathising with each of the characters despite their conflicting emotions and intentions with a subtlety that cinema will always struggle to match.
There's only one reason for the lack of full marks in this case and that was the disappointing final section, it felt like an unnecessary addition to the story and a way to moralise at the reader rather than let them take from the story what they will. I don't like being told the answer to these problems by an author and to have one attempt to do so simply highlights the conceit of the literary fiction writer.
But don't let that stop you from reading this book or seeing the movie, both are splendid and worth your time.
May 31, 2020
Το «Γλυκό πεπρωμένο» του Ράσελ Μπανκς είναι μια ιδιαίτερη ιστορία, που αναφέρεται στην απώλεια και το πώς τη διαχειρίζεται κανείς, αλλά και στα ηθικά διλήμματα που προκύπτουν πολλές φορές μέσα από αυτή.
Η μικρή ορεινή πόλη του Σαμ Ντεντ θυμίζει οποιαδήποτε μικρή αμερικάνικη πόλη των αρχών της δεκαετίας του ’90. Εκεί ζουν καθημερινοί άνθρωποι, με μικρά ή μεγάλα προβλήματα. Δεν υπάρχουν πολλά πράγματα που μπορούν να διαταράξουν τη ρουτίνα – ούτε και το καθημερινό δρομολόγιο της Ντολόρες Ντρίσκολ, η οποία εδώ και είκοσι χρόνια μεταφέρει καθημερινά τους μαθητές από όλη την περιφέρεια με το σχολικό της λεωφορείο. Μέχρι που μια μέρα συμβαίνει ένα τραγικό τροχαίο ατύχημα, με αποτέλεσμα πολλά από τα παιδιά να βρουν φριχτό θάνατο. Μετά από αυτό, τίποτα δεν θα είναι πια ίδιο στο Σαμ Ντεντ.
Η Ντολόρες Ντρίσκολ, ο Μπίλι Άνσελ, η Νικόλ Μπερνέλ κι ο Μίτσελ Στίβενς είναι τέσσερις άνθρωποι που εμπλέκονται, με τον έναν ή τον άλλον τρόπο, με το δυστύχημα. Η πρώτη είναι η οδηγός του λεωφορείου, ο δεύτερος ο πατέρας δύο εκ των παιδιών που επέβαιναν σ’ αυτό και αυτόπτης μάρτυρας της τραγωδίας, η τρίτη μία μαθήτρια γυμνασίου που κατάφερε να βγει ζωντανή από το τρακαρισμένο όχημα και ο τέταρτος ένας δικηγόρος που φτάνει στο Σαμ Ντεντ αμέσως μετά τα συμβάντα, προκειμένου να εκμεταλλευτεί την κατάσταση και να ξεσηκώσει τους χαροκαμένους γονείς ώστε να μηνύσουν οποιονδήποτε υπεύθυνο. Αυτοί οι τέσσερις άνθρωποι είναι οι αφηγητές της ιστορίας, και ο καθένας εκθέτει μέσα από τα λεγόμενά του τον εαυτό του, τις σκέψεις του, τα συναισθήματα, τους προβληματισμούς του, τη ζωή του πριν και μετά από τη στιγμή εκείνη που θα άλλαζε τα πάντα, για πάντα…
Το βιβλίο βασίζεται σε ένα γεγονός αποτροπιαστικό ακόμα και ως σκέψη: ένα σχολικό τροχαίο δυστύχημα με οδυνηρές συνέπειες για πολλές οικογένειες της μικρής πόλης. Ένα δυστύχημα που δεν περιγράφεται σε ενεστώτα χρόνο, όσα γνωρίζουμε προέρχονται από τις αφηγήσεις ή τις μνήμες των μαρτύρων-αφηγητών. Δεν υπάρχουν εδώ μακροσκελείς, μακάβριες περιγραφές με εικόνες γεμάτες αίμα και τσακισμένα κορμιά. Όμως το συμβάν είναι πάντα εκεί, σαν ένα φάντασμα που στοιχειώνει τους ανθρώπους μετά από αυτό, ο υποκινητής όλων όσων ακολούθησαν, «αθόρυβο» όμως ανεξίτηλα χαραγμένο στις ζωές όσων έμειναν πίσω.
Μια τραγωδία, λοιπόν, είναι η αιτία για να έρθουν στο φως πράγματα που για χρόνια κρύβονταν στο σκοτάδι, μέσω της αφήγησης των τεσσάρων αυτών προσώπων. Η εικόνα της μικρής πόλης και των κατοίκων που ζουν μια φαινομενικά συνηθισμένη ζωή ανατρέπεται με σφοδρότητα και πόνο. Τα πρώτα συναισθήματα είναι η άρνηση, η θλίψη και το πένθος, ενώ μετά ακολουθεί η οργή. Κι αυτή η οργή θα αποτελέσει το καλύτερο «όπλο» στα χέρια ενός ανθρώπου – του δικηγόρου. Κι εδώ έρχεται στο φως το ηθικό δίλημμα με το οποίο θα έρθουν αντιμέτωποι οι κάτοικοι του Σαμ Ντεντ: πόσο αξίζει η ζωή των χαμένων παιδιών τους; Πόσο αξίζει να κυνηγάς φαντάσματα, για κάτι που ήταν ένα τραγικό ατύχημα, μια κακιά στιγμή; Πόσο αξίζει να ζεις ξανά και ξανά τις πιο οδυνηρές στιγμές της ζωής σου και να σκοτώνεις ξανά και ξανά τους νεκρούς σου; Και τι είναι τελικά σημαντικότερο: η οργή που θολώνει τον νου και στοιχειώνει τη ζωή σου ή η -ελάχιστη έστω- επούλωση των πληγών, που δεν θα έρθει ποτέ αν συνεχίσεις να τις ξύνεις, ματώνοντάς τες ξανά και ξανά;
Η αλήθεια είναι πως το βιβλίο δεν είναι δύσκολο στη γραφή ή την ανάγνωσή του. Η γλώσσα είναι απλή, πιστή στο κοινωνικό, ηλικιακό και μορφωτικό υπόβαθρο των αφηγητών. Η αφήγηση χαρακτηρίζεται «ήπια», χωρίς υπερβολές, εκπλήξεις ή δραματικές εξάρσεις. Το μόνο ενδιαφέρον είναι οι αποκαλύψεις που έχουν να κάνουν οι αφηγητές – κι αυτές δεν αφορούν τόσο το ατύχημα, όσο τις προσωπικές τους ζωές και τα μυστικά τους. Πολλές φορές, αυτό που μοιάζει τέλειο και ιδανικό απέχει πολύ από το να είναι. Και αυτό που θεωρείται από την πλειοψηφία αρκετό για να είναι κάποιος ευτυχισμένος -το να έχει μια επιτυχημένη δουλειά ή να είναι το ομορφότερο κορίτσι του σχολείου- αποδεικνύεται πως δεν αρκεί, όταν τα εσωτερικά φαντάσματά σου ουρλιάζουν μέσα σου. Οι τέσσερις αφηγητές μιλούν σε πρώτο πρόσωπο και ο αναγνώστης μετατρέπεται σε εξομολογητή τους, σ’ εκείνον που θα πουν τις πιο κρυφές τους σκέψεις για όλα όσα τους απασχολούν. Ωστόσο, τα ηθικά διλήμματα που ξεδιπλώνονται στις σελίδες του βιβλίου είναι διαχρονικά και αφορούν την καθημερινή ζωή σε κάθε πτυχή της: τον έρωτα, τον φόβο, τις αμφιβολίες, τους δισταγμούς, τις δύσκολες αποφάσεις, το πώς αντιμετωπίζει κανείς το αναπάντεχο.
Κάποιοι από τους αναγνώστες θα διαβάσουν το βιβλίο και θα συγκινηθούν, θα προβληματιστούν, θα συμπονέσουν τους ήρωες. Κάποιοι θα το διαβάσουν ως ένα ακόμα ανάγνωσμα που θα απαιτήσει μονάχα λίγες ώρες από τον χρόνο τους, χωρίς να νιώσουν κάτι παραπάνω. Το μόνο σίγουρο είναι ότι ο Banks καταφέρνει να περάσει τα μηνύματα που θέλει και να τα κάνει να «ακουστούν» από τα αναγνωστικά αυτιά που είναι διατεθειμένα να ακούσουν. Και, μέσα στα πολλά άλλα μηνύματα αυτού του βιβλίου, ένα είναι εκείνο που θα πρέπει να εντυπωθεί στο συνειδητό όλων μας: με τα καλά και τα άσχημά της, με τις οδύνες και τις χαρές της, με τις απώλειες και τα κέρδη της, η ζωή πάντα συνεχίζεται.
Η μικρή ορεινή πόλη του Σαμ Ντεντ θυμίζει οποιαδήποτε μικρή αμερικάνικη πόλη των αρχών της δεκαετίας του ’90. Εκεί ζουν καθημερινοί άνθρωποι, με μικρά ή μεγάλα προβλήματα. Δεν υπάρχουν πολλά πράγματα που μπορούν να διαταράξουν τη ρουτίνα – ούτε και το καθημερινό δρομολόγιο της Ντολόρες Ντρίσκολ, η οποία εδώ και είκοσι χρόνια μεταφέρει καθημερινά τους μαθητές από όλη την περιφέρεια με το σχολικό της λεωφορείο. Μέχρι που μια μέρα συμβαίνει ένα τραγικό τροχαίο ατύχημα, με αποτέλεσμα πολλά από τα παιδιά να βρουν φριχτό θάνατο. Μετά από αυτό, τίποτα δεν θα είναι πια ίδιο στο Σαμ Ντεντ.
Η Ντολόρες Ντρίσκολ, ο Μπίλι Άνσελ, η Νικόλ Μπερνέλ κι ο Μίτσελ Στίβενς είναι τέσσερις άνθρωποι που εμπλέκονται, με τον έναν ή τον άλλον τρόπο, με το δυστύχημα. Η πρώτη είναι η οδηγός του λεωφορείου, ο δεύτερος ο πατέρας δύο εκ των παιδιών που επέβαιναν σ’ αυτό και αυτόπτης μάρτυρας της τραγωδίας, η τρίτη μία μαθήτρια γυμνασίου που κατάφερε να βγει ζωντανή από το τρακαρισμένο όχημα και ο τέταρτος ένας δικηγόρος που φτάνει στο Σαμ Ντεντ αμέσως μετά τα συμβάντα, προκειμένου να εκμεταλλευτεί την κατάσταση και να ξεσηκώσει τους χαροκαμένους γονείς ώστε να μηνύσουν οποιονδήποτε υπεύθυνο. Αυτοί οι τέσσερις άνθρωποι είναι οι αφηγητές της ιστορίας, και ο καθένας εκθέτει μέσα από τα λεγόμενά του τον εαυτό του, τις σκέψεις του, τα συναισθήματα, τους προβληματισμούς του, τη ζωή του πριν και μετά από τη στιγμή εκείνη που θα άλλαζε τα πάντα, για πάντα…
Το βιβλίο βασίζεται σε ένα γεγονός αποτροπιαστικό ακόμα και ως σκέψη: ένα σχολικό τροχαίο δυστύχημα με οδυνηρές συνέπειες για πολλές οικογένειες της μικρής πόλης. Ένα δυστύχημα που δεν περιγράφεται σε ενεστώτα χρόνο, όσα γνωρίζουμε προέρχονται από τις αφηγήσεις ή τις μνήμες των μαρτύρων-αφηγητών. Δεν υπάρχουν εδώ μακροσκελείς, μακάβριες περιγραφές με εικόνες γεμάτες αίμα και τσακισμένα κορμιά. Όμως το συμβάν είναι πάντα εκεί, σαν ένα φάντασμα που στοιχειώνει τους ανθρώπους μετά από αυτό, ο υποκινητής όλων όσων ακολούθησαν, «αθόρυβο» όμως ανεξίτηλα χαραγμένο στις ζωές όσων έμειναν πίσω.
Μια τραγωδία, λοιπόν, είναι η αιτία για να έρθουν στο φως πράγματα που για χρόνια κρύβονταν στο σκοτάδι, μέσω της αφήγησης των τεσσάρων αυτών προσώπων. Η εικόνα της μικρής πόλης και των κατοίκων που ζουν μια φαινομενικά συνηθισμένη ζωή ανατρέπεται με σφοδρότητα και πόνο. Τα πρώτα συναισθήματα είναι η άρνηση, η θλίψη και το πένθος, ενώ μετά ακολουθεί η οργή. Κι αυτή η οργή θα αποτελέσει το καλύτερο «όπλο» στα χέρια ενός ανθρώπου – του δικηγόρου. Κι εδώ έρχεται στο φως το ηθικό δίλημμα με το οποίο θα έρθουν αντιμέτωποι οι κάτοικοι του Σαμ Ντεντ: πόσο αξίζει η ζωή των χαμένων παιδιών τους; Πόσο αξίζει να κυνηγάς φαντάσματα, για κάτι που ήταν ένα τραγικό ατύχημα, μια κακιά στιγμή; Πόσο αξίζει να ζεις ξανά και ξανά τις πιο οδυνηρές στιγμές της ζωής σου και να σκοτώνεις ξανά και ξανά τους νεκρούς σου; Και τι είναι τελικά σημαντικότερο: η οργή που θολώνει τον νου και στοιχειώνει τη ζωή σου ή η -ελάχιστη έστω- επούλωση των πληγών, που δεν θα έρθει ποτέ αν συνεχίσεις να τις ξύνεις, ματώνοντάς τες ξανά και ξανά;
Η αλήθεια είναι πως το βιβλίο δεν είναι δύσκολο στη γραφή ή την ανάγνωσή του. Η γλώσσα είναι απλή, πιστή στο κοινωνικό, ηλικιακό και μορφωτικό υπόβαθρο των αφηγητών. Η αφήγηση χαρακτηρίζεται «ήπια», χωρίς υπερβολές, εκπλήξεις ή δραματικές εξάρσεις. Το μόνο ενδιαφέρον είναι οι αποκαλύψεις που έχουν να κάνουν οι αφηγητές – κι αυτές δεν αφορούν τόσο το ατύχημα, όσο τις προσωπικές τους ζωές και τα μυστικά τους. Πολλές φορές, αυτό που μοιάζει τέλειο και ιδανικό απέχει πολύ από το να είναι. Και αυτό που θεωρείται από την πλειοψηφία αρκετό για να είναι κάποιος ευτυχισμένος -το να έχει μια επιτυχημένη δουλειά ή να είναι το ομορφότερο κορίτσι του σχολείου- αποδεικνύεται πως δεν αρκεί, όταν τα εσωτερικά φαντάσματά σου ουρλιάζουν μέσα σου. Οι τέσσερις αφηγητές μιλούν σε πρώτο πρόσωπο και ο αναγνώστης μετατρέπεται σε εξομολογητή τους, σ’ εκείνον που θα πουν τις πιο κρυφές τους σκέψεις για όλα όσα τους απασχολούν. Ωστόσο, τα ηθικά διλήμματα που ξεδιπλώνονται στις σελίδες του βιβλίου είναι διαχρονικά και αφορούν την καθημερινή ζωή σε κάθε πτυχή της: τον έρωτα, τον φόβο, τις αμφιβολίες, τους δισταγμούς, τις δύσκολες αποφάσεις, το πώς αντιμετωπίζει κανείς το αναπάντεχο.
Κάποιοι από τους αναγνώστες θα διαβάσουν το βιβλίο και θα συγκινηθούν, θα προβληματιστούν, θα συμπονέσουν τους ήρωες. Κάποιοι θα το διαβάσουν ως ένα ακόμα ανάγνωσμα που θα απαιτήσει μονάχα λίγες ώρες από τον χρόνο τους, χωρίς να νιώσουν κάτι παραπάνω. Το μόνο σίγουρο είναι ότι ο Banks καταφέρνει να περάσει τα μηνύματα που θέλει και να τα κάνει να «ακουστούν» από τα αναγνωστικά αυτιά που είναι διατεθειμένα να ακούσουν. Και, μέσα στα πολλά άλλα μηνύματα αυτού του βιβλίου, ένα είναι εκείνο που θα πρέπει να εντυπωθεί στο συνειδητό όλων μας: με τα καλά και τα άσχημά της, με τις οδύνες και τις χαρές της, με τις απώλειες και τα κέρδη της, η ζωή πάντα συνεχίζεται.
August 13, 2017
The conclusion gives us an incredibly powerful image to end this, an almost impossible tale to tell. The awful tragedy in itself is not committed to the page, but the aftereffects are clear, the emotions are not hinted at but fully disclosed. I don't know if I was very much convinced that there are four DISTINCT characters, since they are so alike. I feel like a great bulk of the book was not told, not actually given to us the way it was supposed to: like evading a grand central question. Yeah, there is relief that there was no courtroom scene (the sole detriment to a classic like Native Son for instance), and that we were spared a gruesome scene of a multiple accidental infanticide. But where is the gamble? "The Sweet Hereafter" is so preoccupied with the entire township that when the reader's & the individual narrator's ethics are questioned, the collective thought wins out & everything becomes impersonal. I think this was a very difficult book to put together, though the approach of penetrating a group emotion by seeing the world through one of the four protagonist's mind seems a tad ineffective as it tries to be personal.
February 10, 2019
Ένα σχολικό, ένα δυστύχημα που θα καταλήξει με πληθώρα νεκρών παιδιών, ανάμεσα στους επιζώντες η οδηγός του λεωφορείου και μια έφηβη καθηλωμένη πλέον σε αναπηρική καρέκλα. Νόμιζα ότι θα διαβάσω την κλασική συνταγή που θα συνέθετε ένα δακρύβρεχτο βιβλίο με ολίγον από κοινωνικό και όχι μόνο προβληματισμό. Νόμιζα. Ναι, είναι ένα βιβλίο που θα σε συγκινήσει, αυτό είναι αναπόφευκτο αλλά ο στόχος του δεν είναι μόνο αυτός. Εξάλλου για το δυστύχημα μιλάνε (ο καθένας από τη δική του οπτική), τέσσερις διαφορετικοί άνθρωποι. Όχι για να δώσουν τη δική τους εκδοχή των γεγονότων αλλά για το πώς αισθάνονται εν σχέσει με αυτά.
Η απώλεια και η διαχείρισή της, ο θυμός, η επιθυμία για εκδίκηση αναλύονται εξαιρετικά σε κάθε σελίδα. Οι δε χαρακτήρες, απλοί, καθημερινοί, είναι άνθρωποι που ψυχογραφούνται άριστα όχι μόνο σε ό,τι έχει να κάνει με το δυστύχημα αλλά πολύ περισσότερο με όσα ο καθένας έκρυβε επί χρόνια μέσα του, διαμορφώνοντας τον σημερινό τους χαρακτήρα.
Εξαιρετικό, εύκολο ανάγνωσμα αλλά και δύσκολο ταυτόχρονα βιβλίο. Όταν έχεις να κάνεις με το συναίσθημα, πάντα έτσι δεν είναι;
Η απώλεια και η διαχείρισή της, ο θυμός, η επιθυμία για εκδίκηση αναλύονται εξαιρετικά σε κάθε σελίδα. Οι δε χαρακτήρες, απλοί, καθημερινοί, είναι άνθρωποι που ψυχογραφούνται άριστα όχι μόνο σε ό,τι έχει να κάνει με το δυστύχημα αλλά πολύ περισσότερο με όσα ο καθένας έκρυβε επί χρόνια μέσα του, διαμορφώνοντας τον σημερινό τους χαρακτήρα.
Εξαιρετικό, εύκολο ανάγνωσμα αλλά και δύσκολο ταυτόχρονα βιβλίο. Όταν έχεις να κάνεις με το συναίσθημα, πάντα έτσι δεν είναι;
September 29, 2021
«Γλυκό πεπρωμένο»
Γλυκόπικρο βιβλίο! Απόλυτο ψυχογράφημα! Ο συγγραφέας σκίζει το μυαλό κ την ψυχή του αναγνώστη.
Οι ήρωες δεν κρύβουν τίποτα. Ξεγυμνώνονται μπροστά μας, χωρίς ίχνος ντροπής. Οι αλήθειες τους σε κάνουν να σπαράζεις. Δε ζητούν συμπόνια και οίκτο…Δε ζητιανεύουν αγάπη…Έχουν τη μοναξιά τους και μ αυτή πορεύονται. Δεν αποζητούν τίποτα…Αφήνουν τη ζωή να τους παρασύρει στους κανόνες της. Εσύ ως αναγνώστης απλώς παρακολουθείς τις εξελίξεις. Βρίσκεσαι σε μια γωνιά κ σε κάποιες περιπτώσεις απλώνεις το χέρι… το απλώνεις για να συμπαρασταθείς, να δώσεις κουράγιο, να νιώσεις και να αισθανθείς αλλά και να αντιληφθείς τη δύναμη που εκπέμπουν οι πρωταγωνιστές.
Με πόνεσε πολύ, αλλ�� το λάτρεψα !
Γλυκόπικρο βιβλίο! Απόλυτο ψυχογράφημα! Ο συγγραφέας σκίζει το μυαλό κ την ψυχή του αναγνώστη.
Οι ήρωες δεν κρύβουν τίποτα. Ξεγυμνώνονται μπροστά μας, χωρίς ίχνος ντροπής. Οι αλήθειες τους σε κάνουν να σπαράζεις. Δε ζητούν συμπόνια και οίκτο…Δε ζητιανεύουν αγάπη…Έχουν τη μοναξιά τους και μ αυτή πορεύονται. Δεν αποζητούν τίποτα…Αφήνουν τη ζωή να τους παρασύρει στους κανόνες της. Εσύ ως αναγνώστης απλώς παρακολουθείς τις εξελίξεις. Βρίσκεσαι σε μια γωνιά κ σε κάποιες περιπτώσεις απλώνεις το χέρι… το απλώνεις για να συμπαρασταθείς, να δώσεις κουράγιο, να νιώσεις και να αισθανθείς αλλά και να αντιληφθείς τη δύναμη που εκπέμπουν οι πρωταγωνιστές.
Με πόνεσε πολύ, αλλ�� το λάτρεψα !
February 1, 2024
This is my first sweet taste of the Russell Banks experience. Well, it's a solid and evocative exposure that made this reader feel like he had spent a long time in the town getting to know the people.
Insightful perspectives from the viewpoint of several characters, all presented in the form of smooth, seemingly effortless writing. Brilliant. If all his novels are like this I can see what the fuss is about.
4.5 stars.
Insightful perspectives from the viewpoint of several characters, all presented in the form of smooth, seemingly effortless writing. Brilliant. If all his novels are like this I can see what the fuss is about.
4.5 stars.
March 17, 2022
Ο άνθρωπος είναι ταυτόχρονα υποκείμενο και αντικείμενο της Ιστορίας. Τι γίνεται όταν η ιστορία είναι τραγική; Τότε απλά γεννιέται η αισχύλεια τραγωδία . Στο εκπληκτικό αυτό μυθιστόρημα η δομή του δεν είναι τίποτα λιγότερο από τραγική. Μαεστρικά η ιστορία χωρίζεται σε πέντε μέρη σε πέντε αφηγήσεις με αφορμή ένα τροχαίο δυστύχημα . Ξεκινώντας με την μοιραία οδηγό θύτη- θύμα του μοιραίου δυστυχήματος, ακολουθούν (σαν άλλη πάροδος-επεισόδιο-στάσιμο) οι αφηγήσεις ενός πατέρα που έχασε τα δίδυμα παιδιά του, ενός δικηγόρος που θέλει να επωφεληθεί από το συμβάν, οι μνήμες της επιζήσασας μαθήτριας και κλείνει με το αφήγημα της οδηγού λίγους μήνες μετά το ατύχημα. Υπόθεση και πλοκή σφικτά δεμένες παραθέτουν μια διαδοχή γεγονότων, συναισθημάτων και μυστικών. Όσο για την λύτρωση αυτή δίνεται μέσα σε μια αρένα με το χορικό να είναι πειραγμένα αμάξια που μαρσάρουν στην λάσπη. Τίποτα λιγότερο και τίποτα περισσότερο από ένα γλυκό πεπρωμένο…
March 17, 2021
Εντάξει, το παραδέχομαι, ήταν εξαιρετικό. Μια αριστουργηματική σπουδή χαρακτήρων και μια πλοκή που, αν και λειτουργεί απλά ως όχημα για αυτούς, είναι παράταυτα ενδιαφέρουσα. Επίσης, με εντυπωσίασε η ρεαλιστικότητα των αντιδράσεων των θυμάτων της τραγωδίας και των συγγενών τους, όταν αποφασίζουν να ζητήσουν αποζημίωση από τους όποιους υπευθύνους, μπορώ να βεβαιώσω από προσωπική/επαγγελματική εμπειρία ότι είναι βγαλμένα από τη ζωή.
A mastepiece of a character study, plus a plot that, although it mainly works as a vehicle for said characters, is in itself interesting. I was impressed by how true-to-life the reactions of the victims of the tragedy and their relatives, when they turned into litigants.
A mastepiece of a character study, plus a plot that, although it mainly works as a vehicle for said characters, is in itself interesting. I was impressed by how true-to-life the reactions of the victims of the tragedy and their relatives, when they turned into litigants.
September 22, 2016
I've been meaning to read Russell Banks for a very long time. Affliction had been on my Goodreads to-read list since I joined in 2008. As I had snubbed it time and time again, I ultimately removed it from my list.
Then, after recently listening to Nancy Pearl's That Stack of Books podcast, my interest was renewed with her enthusiasm for The Sweet Hereafter. I loved that movie. I still can't help but hear Sarah Polley's haunting version of the Tragically Hip's Courage whenever it's brought up. So, given what The Hip's Gord Downie is going through right now, and indeed his Courage, I decided that this would be the next book to read.
Well, look up there. Three measly stars. :|
I really thought I was going to love this, and for a lot of it I liked it a lot. But I had a few problems with it. Well, just one. But we'll get to that in a bit.
First the good points.
This is a story about a small upstate New York town and the aftermath of a terrible school bus accident. The story is told in five parts, each from a different person's perspective. Great structure.
The story line is very good, the dialogue excellent, the resolution pretty good.
I guess have a problem with Banks. More so, it could be I just have a problem with what is known as the "literary novel". The Sweet Hereafter is written in the first person through each of these perspectives. These people are small town blue collar types, but what comes out in the narrative is more reflective of the writer's writing chops rather than what a normal person's thoughts would sound like. If that makes sense.
Mind you, Nichole's narrative was simplified somewhat to resemble the thoughts of a 14 year old. Still, I found it odd that the school bus driver and garage owner had rather highbrow (in my opinion) turns of phrase.
Adding to this, some musings that either made no sense at all to me, or simply rang untrue, or more simply me getting annoyed at a writer's pretentiousness. Or me being stupid.
For example:
A character is reflecting on the time he and his wife forgot their daughter at the grocery store:
The thought made me tremble with rage. And because I could not blame my wife or son for what Jessica was enduring, I had to blame myself alone, and because, as Lydia had said, I could not blame myself alone, I blamed love.
Yes, love! Love is why you forgot your child at the store! How enlightened this observance is. 0_O Does this make sense to anyone?
Another:
A character talks about his estranged drug addicted daughter:
I've told my story - it's a compulsion I guess - to friends and strangers and even to shrinks, all of whom feel sorry for me, if you can believe that, which is a way of feeling sorry for themselves, I've learned.
Wow, clever observance. But no. NO. Really, Russell, how do you figure that?
Hey, maybe I'm just missing these curve balls and striking out. AKA I may be just too stupid for Mr Banks. But I do know what I like, and that's reading a narrative that, when musings on the human conditions are brought out, I am nodding in agreement. Not shaking my head and wondering if I read that right, over and over again. I'm not one to argue with success (okay, I am, but it seemed a nice way to start this sentence), and Russell Banks is clearly a successful storyteller, but I prefer philosophical musings on the layman's level. Give me Stephen King any day. At least he doesn't try to baffle you with bullshit.
I've harped on this much too long for what it was. It really didn't detract from my enjoyment of the story as a whole, and many of you may find the whole thing brilliant. I liked it, mostly for bringing the excellent movie into my head at a fuller level.
Oh, except for this!
Unfortunately I don't think I'll read Banks again. But I'm glad I did, to satisfy my curiosity, and at the cost of only a few days.
Then, after recently listening to Nancy Pearl's That Stack of Books podcast, my interest was renewed with her enthusiasm for The Sweet Hereafter. I loved that movie. I still can't help but hear Sarah Polley's haunting version of the Tragically Hip's Courage whenever it's brought up. So, given what The Hip's Gord Downie is going through right now, and indeed his Courage, I decided that this would be the next book to read.
Well, look up there. Three measly stars. :|
I really thought I was going to love this, and for a lot of it I liked it a lot. But I had a few problems with it. Well, just one. But we'll get to that in a bit.
First the good points.
This is a story about a small upstate New York town and the aftermath of a terrible school bus accident. The story is told in five parts, each from a different person's perspective. Great structure.
The story line is very good, the dialogue excellent, the resolution pretty good.
I guess have a problem with Banks. More so, it could be I just have a problem with what is known as the "literary novel". The Sweet Hereafter is written in the first person through each of these perspectives. These people are small town blue collar types, but what comes out in the narrative is more reflective of the writer's writing chops rather than what a normal person's thoughts would sound like. If that makes sense.
Mind you, Nichole's narrative was simplified somewhat to resemble the thoughts of a 14 year old. Still, I found it odd that the school bus driver and garage owner had rather highbrow (in my opinion) turns of phrase.
Adding to this, some musings that either made no sense at all to me, or simply rang untrue, or more simply me getting annoyed at a writer's pretentiousness. Or me being stupid.
For example:
A character is reflecting on the time he and his wife forgot their daughter at the grocery store:
The thought made me tremble with rage. And because I could not blame my wife or son for what Jessica was enduring, I had to blame myself alone, and because, as Lydia had said, I could not blame myself alone, I blamed love.
Yes, love! Love is why you forgot your child at the store! How enlightened this observance is. 0_O Does this make sense to anyone?
Another:
A character talks about his estranged drug addicted daughter:
I've told my story - it's a compulsion I guess - to friends and strangers and even to shrinks, all of whom feel sorry for me, if you can believe that, which is a way of feeling sorry for themselves, I've learned.
Wow, clever observance. But no. NO. Really, Russell, how do you figure that?
Hey, maybe I'm just missing these curve balls and striking out. AKA I may be just too stupid for Mr Banks. But I do know what I like, and that's reading a narrative that, when musings on the human conditions are brought out, I am nodding in agreement. Not shaking my head and wondering if I read that right, over and over again. I'm not one to argue with success (okay, I am, but it seemed a nice way to start this sentence), and Russell Banks is clearly a successful storyteller, but I prefer philosophical musings on the layman's level. Give me Stephen King any day. At least he doesn't try to baffle you with bullshit.
I've harped on this much too long for what it was. It really didn't detract from my enjoyment of the story as a whole, and many of you may find the whole thing brilliant. I liked it, mostly for bringing the excellent movie into my head at a fuller level.
Oh, except for this!
Unfortunately I don't think I'll read Banks again. But I'm glad I did, to satisfy my curiosity, and at the cost of only a few days.
December 24, 2007
Whenever I read this book, I find myself wishing I'd read it before seeing the movie. No matter how hard I try, I find that I just can't shake those visuals, and I'd like to try to read the book on its own terms.
Having said that, I love both the book and the movie, for reasons I'm not sure I can explain. The movie was actually one of the first DVDs I ever bought, at a time when DVDs were still kind of magical, and I watched it backwards and forwards. I listened to the commentary tracks; I watched the documentaries. Nowadays, who has time for that kind of investment in a flimsy plastic disc?
But the book. Four different narrators, each distinct and fully realized. The back of the book describes it as a "morality play," but the book lacks the obviousness suggested by such a label. Morality, of course, is an issue in the book, but it's not presented in stark right-or-wrong terms. My judgements of each of the characters changes with each read. Is Mitchell Stephens a crusader or a lawyer? Is Nicholl courageous or naive? Is Billy capable of seeing the world clearly, or are his decisions invalidated by the grief which has destroyed him?
All in all, it's a lovely book, translated into an equally lovely movie. I can't recommend either highly enough, and I wish I could find the eloquence to explain why.
Having said that, I love both the book and the movie, for reasons I'm not sure I can explain. The movie was actually one of the first DVDs I ever bought, at a time when DVDs were still kind of magical, and I watched it backwards and forwards. I listened to the commentary tracks; I watched the documentaries. Nowadays, who has time for that kind of investment in a flimsy plastic disc?
But the book. Four different narrators, each distinct and fully realized. The back of the book describes it as a "morality play," but the book lacks the obviousness suggested by such a label. Morality, of course, is an issue in the book, but it's not presented in stark right-or-wrong terms. My judgements of each of the characters changes with each read. Is Mitchell Stephens a crusader or a lawyer? Is Nicholl courageous or naive? Is Billy capable of seeing the world clearly, or are his decisions invalidated by the grief which has destroyed him?
All in all, it's a lovely book, translated into an equally lovely movie. I can't recommend either highly enough, and I wish I could find the eloquence to explain why.
November 25, 2015
This book taught me more about how to write than almost any other book I've read. The last chapter is a remarkable tour de force.
February 1, 2024
Powerful writing about parenting, and the experiencing the sorrow for the loss of a child through death or addiction.
April 9, 2018
Russell Banks è un eccellente scrittore e questo "Il dolce domani" -pur senza brillare- conferma appieno le sue qualità.
Al di là dei tragici eventi narrati in questo romanzo a più voci, la riflessione che a mio avviso emerge con maggiore forza è la peculiarità della vita, dei comportamenti, del senso di comunità e giustizia di coloro che scelgono di vivere ai margini della società moderna così come noi la conosciamo.
Piccoli paesi in cui tutti si conoscono e nei quali i rari turisti sono visti con sospetto, comunità che vivono costantemete sotto la minaccia di condizioni climatiche proibitive, uomini e donne che scelgono di vivere le loro vite con riservata dignità, di affrontare le difficoltà chiusi nel loro dolore, sprezzanti nei confronti delle offerte d'aiuto dei forestieri che semplicemente non hanno le chiavi per entrare in un mondo radicalmente differente.
Ci si aspetta un racconto pieno di sdegno e di disperate grida di protesta per la tragica scomparsa di molti bambini (e quindi del futuro) di una comunità, si assapora un finale da tesissimo legal thriller, e invece ci si trova tra le mani un libro che ha il carattere degli uomini di montagna: fiero, diffidente, solido come una quercia, e molto poco disposto a mettere in piazza il proprio dolore.
Al di là dei tragici eventi narrati in questo romanzo a più voci, la riflessione che a mio avviso emerge con maggiore forza è la peculiarità della vita, dei comportamenti, del senso di comunità e giustizia di coloro che scelgono di vivere ai margini della società moderna così come noi la conosciamo.
Piccoli paesi in cui tutti si conoscono e nei quali i rari turisti sono visti con sospetto, comunità che vivono costantemete sotto la minaccia di condizioni climatiche proibitive, uomini e donne che scelgono di vivere le loro vite con riservata dignità, di affrontare le difficoltà chiusi nel loro dolore, sprezzanti nei confronti delle offerte d'aiuto dei forestieri che semplicemente non hanno le chiavi per entrare in un mondo radicalmente differente.
Ci si aspetta un racconto pieno di sdegno e di disperate grida di protesta per la tragica scomparsa di molti bambini (e quindi del futuro) di una comunità, si assapora un finale da tesissimo legal thriller, e invece ci si trova tra le mani un libro che ha il carattere degli uomini di montagna: fiero, diffidente, solido come una quercia, e molto poco disposto a mettere in piazza il proprio dolore.
November 9, 2008
I first read Russell Banks because I found out that he wrote the books that two great movies are based on, "The Sweet Hereafter" and "Affliction." The first of these two is an exquisite movie.
In fact, and one doesn't often hear this, especially on Goodreads, but the movie is better than the book. In the movie, directed by Atom Egoyan, the story of a school bus in a upstate NY town going into the lake is dealt with in the aftermath. Most of the children of the town are dead, and lawyers show up, talking about lawsuits. The folktale, "The Pied Piper of Hamlin" is interwoven through this story. At the end, one does not see the folktale as a metaphor, providing one to one correspondence with the characters in the story. Instead, the possible allegorical meanings of the folktale are switched, until the folktale remains as an interpretive schema, the reverberations it provides are about the sadness of losing children, and the fierceness of those who are angry for justice.
Dolores Driscoll, the bus driver, is the Pied Piper. She drove the bus that took the children to the sweet hereafter, a place she feels she herself has reached, though she survived the accident. The lawyer from the big city is the Pied Piper of Hamlin, he promises to solve a problem for the people of the town, and also, like the Piper, he is angry. His only daughter is a heroin addict who keeps hitting him up, and he keeps paying her. Billy Ansel, the one guy in town who stands up against the idea of tearing apart the town with lawsuits, is a leader. He is also destroyed after losing his own two children. Then Nicole, the only other survivor, in a wheel chair is the criple kid who never made it into the happy land in the hole of the mountain. She is alone, without any friends. The shots of the snow covered hillsides and the stanzas of the Pied Piper create a haunting tale about the loss of children and the impossibility of encompassing these losses. It is not a moral tale, though it resonates as a true one.
The book is good. The story is the same as the movie. It deals with sexual abuse, a topic that I have seen Banks deal with before. It is a topic that we do not deal with enough in our culture. Banks has four different narrators. There are passages where the prose rivals the title for poesy. Dolores Driscoll explains her relationship with her wheel chair bound husband, which is in the movie word for word, is one place like this. Another is when Billy Ansel, having lost his wife and twin children, makes an honest calculation of what is left and finds that he has nothing left to live for.
The folktale gave the movie a bit of hope, though it is a dark one. The ending of that story, in which the children end up in a happy place, while the town is bereft always seems a little suspicious. Isn't this just what we tell ourselves to make it okay, to make this awful story palatable for children? But there is no Pied Piper in the book, and all the main characters do not have the glib answers that faith provides. The children are gone. The hereafter is sweet precisely because it is after here, and here is punctured by loss.
In fact, and one doesn't often hear this, especially on Goodreads, but the movie is better than the book. In the movie, directed by Atom Egoyan, the story of a school bus in a upstate NY town going into the lake is dealt with in the aftermath. Most of the children of the town are dead, and lawyers show up, talking about lawsuits. The folktale, "The Pied Piper of Hamlin" is interwoven through this story. At the end, one does not see the folktale as a metaphor, providing one to one correspondence with the characters in the story. Instead, the possible allegorical meanings of the folktale are switched, until the folktale remains as an interpretive schema, the reverberations it provides are about the sadness of losing children, and the fierceness of those who are angry for justice.
Dolores Driscoll, the bus driver, is the Pied Piper. She drove the bus that took the children to the sweet hereafter, a place she feels she herself has reached, though she survived the accident. The lawyer from the big city is the Pied Piper of Hamlin, he promises to solve a problem for the people of the town, and also, like the Piper, he is angry. His only daughter is a heroin addict who keeps hitting him up, and he keeps paying her. Billy Ansel, the one guy in town who stands up against the idea of tearing apart the town with lawsuits, is a leader. He is also destroyed after losing his own two children. Then Nicole, the only other survivor, in a wheel chair is the criple kid who never made it into the happy land in the hole of the mountain. She is alone, without any friends. The shots of the snow covered hillsides and the stanzas of the Pied Piper create a haunting tale about the loss of children and the impossibility of encompassing these losses. It is not a moral tale, though it resonates as a true one.
The book is good. The story is the same as the movie. It deals with sexual abuse, a topic that I have seen Banks deal with before. It is a topic that we do not deal with enough in our culture. Banks has four different narrators. There are passages where the prose rivals the title for poesy. Dolores Driscoll explains her relationship with her wheel chair bound husband, which is in the movie word for word, is one place like this. Another is when Billy Ansel, having lost his wife and twin children, makes an honest calculation of what is left and finds that he has nothing left to live for.
The folktale gave the movie a bit of hope, though it is a dark one. The ending of that story, in which the children end up in a happy place, while the town is bereft always seems a little suspicious. Isn't this just what we tell ourselves to make it okay, to make this awful story palatable for children? But there is no Pied Piper in the book, and all the main characters do not have the glib answers that faith provides. The children are gone. The hereafter is sweet precisely because it is after here, and here is punctured by loss.
February 6, 2023
The Sweet Hereafter
Pronta per il film.
Pronta per il film.
April 8, 2017
This is a terribly moving, insightful, and masterfully written novel, the best of the several I have read by Banks -- who is a superb writer.
September 2, 2007
This one seemed to have a lot of potential. The idea was good. The story was… good. Or it could have been.
I hated the way it was written. I didn’t like this fellows style at all. None of the characters came off as especially likeable, or real, or endearing, or brave… or anything. There was nothing stand out of the four people in the town chosen to narrate. Their story was sad, something stand out in itself. And perhaps that was meant to be the meat, that was meant to be all that stood out. But I don’t think so.
I think it was meant to be the coping with the sad story, and the stories of the survivors.
I thought that it was written in a dumbed down style that I didn’t approve of.
I hated the way it was written. I didn’t like this fellows style at all. None of the characters came off as especially likeable, or real, or endearing, or brave… or anything. There was nothing stand out of the four people in the town chosen to narrate. Their story was sad, something stand out in itself. And perhaps that was meant to be the meat, that was meant to be all that stood out. But I don’t think so.
I think it was meant to be the coping with the sad story, and the stories of the survivors.
I thought that it was written in a dumbed down style that I didn’t approve of.
December 29, 2018
Δείτε επίσης και στο Chill and read
«Το Γλυκό Πεπρωμένο» είναι ένα βιβλίο για την απώλεια και πως τη διαχειρίζεται κανείς, αλλά είναι και ένα βιβλίο για τους ανθρώπους και το χαρακτήρα τους. Αλήθεια, τι επιτρέπεται και τι δεν επιτρέπεται να κάνει ή να πει κανείς όταν πρόκειται για την ψυχική ηρεμία μιας ολόκληρης πόλης;
Το Σαμ Ντεντ είναι μια μικρή πόλη στα βόρεια της πολιτείας της Νέας Υόρκης, στα σύνορα με τον Καναδά. Είναι μια μικρή ήσυχη πόλη που οι κάτοικοί της γνωρίζονται λίγο πολύ όλοι μεταξύ τους και που έχει πάρει το όνομά της από τον άνθρωπο που κάποτε του ανήκε όλη η γύρω έκταση. Οι κάτοικοί της είναι φτωχοί μεροκαματιάρηδες όλων των ειδών. Από τον πιο τίμιο και πιστά εργαζόμενο μέχρι τον πιο τεμπέλη μικρό λαθρέμπορο. Το γεγονός η πόλη είναι πέρασμα των τουριστών και των σκιέρ που πηγαίνουν στα Αντίροντακ, έπεισε πολλούς από αυτούς ότι θα έβγαζαν χρήματα από τους τουρίστες. Μέγα λάθος, καθώς το μόνο που κέρδισαν είναι κάποια κίνηση παραπάνω και τίποτε άλλο.
Μια μέρα όπως όλες οι άλλες, η Ντολόρες πήρε το σχολικό της και ξεκίνησε να μαζεύει τα παιδιά της πόλης ακολουθώντας το καθημερινό δρομολόγιό της. Όταν πια το λεωφορείο γέμισε και όλα τα παιδιά είχαν επιβιβαστεί, όσα δηλαδή δεν είχαν μείνει στο σπίτι με κάποια ίωση, συνέχισε πιο ανάλαφρη για τον τελικό της προορισμό και το σχολείο. Στο δρόμο όμως έγινε ένα τραγικό ατύχημα που έφερε τα πάνω κάτω στη μικρό πόλη. Η Ντολόρες επέζησε, όχι όμως και όλα τα παιδιά που μετέφερε με το λεωφορείο της. Τα πιο άτυχα από αυτά βρίσκονταν στο πίσω μέρος του λεωφορείου, αυτό που βυθίστηκε στο παγωμένο νερό. Το σοκ ήταν μεγάλο για τη μικρή πόλη.
Τα γεγονότα πριν και μετά από το ατύχημα, αφηγούνται τέσσερις άνθρωποι. Πρώτη ξεκινάει η Ντολόρες, η οδηγός του λεωφορείου που μας μιλάει για την ίδια, για την πόλη τους, για τον άντρα της τον Άμποτ που μετά το εγκεφαλικό είναι καθηλωμένος σε αναπηρικό καροτσάκι με αχρηστευμένη την αριστερή του πλευρά και δυσκολίες στην ομιλία, για το πως κατέληξε να είναι η οδηγός του σχολικού και τι σημαίνουν αυτά τα παιδιά για εκείνη. Μιλάει για τα συναισθήματά της, πριν και μετά το ατύχημα και για όσα συνέβησαν από τη δική της πλευρά.
Τη σκυτάλη παίρνει ένας πατέρας που ήταν αυτόπτης μάρτυρας του ατυχήματος στο οποίο έχασε τα δυο του παιδιά. Ένα πλήγμα παραπάνω μετά το χαμό της γυναίκας του. Όμως ο Μπίλι Άνσελ μιλάει για πολλά περισσότερα. Μιλάει για το πως ήταν η ζωή τους παλιά, τα λάθη που έκανε και που μετά τα μετάνιωσε. Μιλάει για τον άνθρωπο που ήταν και για τον άνθρωπο που έγινε, αλλά και για τον άνθρωπο που νομίζουν οι άλλοι πως είναι.
Πίσω του ακολουθεί ο δικηγόρος που εμφανίστηκε στην πόλη μόλις έμαθε για το ατύχημα και προσπαθεί να πείσει όσους επλήγησαν από αυτό να πάρουν μέρος σε μια διαμάχη με την πολιτεία και τους υπεύθυνους και να ζητήσουν αποζημίωση. Δεν είναι φυσικά ο μόνος που προσπάθησε να εκμεταλλευτεί το τραγικό δυστύχημα, αλλά είναι ο μόνος που παραθέτει την άποψή του στο βιβλίο. Οι περισσότεροι δεν συμπαθούν τους δικηγόρους, όμως η υπόσχεση για μια πολύ υψηλή αποζημίωση είναι αυτή που θα τραβήξει τους κατοίκους της μικρής πόλης όπως το φως τις νυχτοπεταλούδες. Ο συγκεκριμένος όμως, είναι ένας άνθρωπος με πολλή οργή μέσα του αφού έχει κι αυτός τους δικούς του προσωπικούς εφιάλτες να τον κατατρώνε. Πιστεύει δηλαδή, πως δεν εκμεταλλεύεται την κατάσταση, αλλά πως πραγματικά βοηθάει αυτούς τους ανθρώπους.
Η Νικόλ, ένα από τα κορίτσια που επέβαιναν στο λεωφορείο και κατάφερε να βγει ζωντανή από τον εφιάλτη, αλλά με τεράστιο κόστος είναι η τέταρτη φωνή που περιγράφει την ιστορία. Και είναι η Νικόλ που θα δώσει τη θεραπεία στον πυρετό των μηνύσεων που έχει καταλάβει τους συμπολίτες της. Ο τρόπος της είναι αντισυ��βατικός και σε βάρος κάποιων αθώων ανθρώπων, αλλά φαίνεται πως τη συγκεκριμένη στιγμή, στη συγκεκριμένη περίπτωση και για τους συγκεκριμένους ανθρώπους είναι ίσως η καλύτερη λύση. Ίσως η καλύτερη λύση για την ίδια, αν και οι δικοί της εσωτερικοί δαίμονες δεν πρόκειται να σωπάσουν έτσι.
Τα συναισθήματα που έχει κανείς διαβάζοντας αυτό το βιβλίο είναι ανάμεικτα. Όμως πρέπει να έχει στο νου του ότι πρόκειται για μια απομακρυσμένη μικρή πόλη, στα τέλη της δεκαετίας του 80, ό,τι και αν σημαίνει αυτό.
«Το Γλυκό Πεπρωμένο» είναι ένα βιβλίο για την απώλεια και πως τη διαχειρίζεται κανείς, αλλά είναι και ένα βιβλίο για τους ανθρώπους και το χαρακτήρα τους. Αλήθεια, τι επιτρέπεται και τι δεν επιτρέπεται να κάνει ή να πει κανείς όταν πρόκειται για την ψυχική ηρεμία μιας ολόκληρης πόλης;
Το Σαμ Ντεντ είναι μια μικρή πόλη στα βόρεια της πολιτείας της Νέας Υόρκης, στα σύνορα με τον Καναδά. Είναι μια μικρή ήσυχη πόλη που οι κάτοικοί της γνωρίζονται λίγο πολύ όλοι μεταξύ τους και που έχει πάρει το όνομά της από τον άνθρωπο που κάποτε του ανήκε όλη η γύρω έκταση. Οι κάτοικοί της είναι φτωχοί μεροκαματιάρηδες όλων των ειδών. Από τον πιο τίμιο και πιστά εργαζόμενο μέχρι τον πιο τεμπέλη μικρό λαθρέμπορο. Το γεγονός η πόλη είναι πέρασμα των τουριστών και των σκιέρ που πηγαίνουν στα Αντίροντακ, έπεισε πολλούς από αυτούς ότι θα έβγαζαν χρήματα από τους τουρίστες. Μέγα λάθος, καθώς το μόνο που κέρδισαν είναι κάποια κίνηση παραπάνω και τίποτε άλλο.
Μια μέρα όπως όλες οι άλλες, η Ντολόρες πήρε το σχολικό της και ξεκίνησε να μαζεύει τα παιδιά της πόλης ακολουθώντας το καθημερινό δρομολόγιό της. Όταν πια το λεωφορείο γέμισε και όλα τα παιδιά είχαν επιβιβαστεί, όσα δηλαδή δεν είχαν μείνει στο σπίτι με κάποια ίωση, συνέχισε πιο ανάλαφρη για τον τελικό της προορισμό και το σχολείο. Στο δρόμο όμως έγινε ένα τραγικό ατύχημα που έφερε τα πάνω κάτω στη μικρό πόλη. Η Ντολόρες επέζησε, όχι όμως και όλα τα παιδιά που μετέφερε με το λεωφορείο της. Τα πιο άτυχα από αυτά βρίσκονταν στο πίσω μέρος του λεωφορείου, αυτό που βυθίστηκε στο παγωμένο νερό. Το σοκ ήταν μεγάλο για τη μικρή πόλη.
Τα γεγονότα πριν και μετά από το ατύχημα, αφηγούνται τέσσερις άνθρωποι. Πρώτη ξεκινάει η Ντολόρες, η οδηγός του λεωφορείου που μας μιλάει για την ίδια, για την πόλη τους, για τον άντρα της τον Άμποτ που μετά το εγκεφαλικό είναι καθηλωμένος σε αναπηρικό καροτσάκι με αχρηστευμένη την αριστερή του πλευρά και δυσκολίες στην ομιλία, για το πως κατέληξε να είναι η οδηγός του σχολικού και τι σημαίνουν αυτά τα παιδιά για εκείνη. Μιλάει για τα συναισθήματά της, πριν και μετά το ατύχημα και για όσα συνέβησαν από τη δική της πλευρά.
Τη σκυτάλη παίρνει ένας πατέρας που ήταν αυτόπτης μάρτυρας του ατυχήματος στο οποίο έχασε τα δυο του παιδιά. Ένα πλήγμα παραπάνω μετά το χαμό της γυναίκας του. Όμως ο Μπίλι Άνσελ μιλάει για πολλά περισσότερα. Μιλάει για το πως ήταν η ζωή τους παλιά, τα λάθη που έκανε και που μετά τα μετάνιωσε. Μιλάει για τον άνθρωπο που ήταν και για τον άνθρωπο που έγινε, αλλά και για τον άνθρωπο που νομίζουν οι άλλοι πως είναι.
Πίσω του ακολουθεί ο δικηγόρος που εμφανίστηκε στην πόλη μόλις έμαθε για το ατύχημα και προσπαθεί να πείσει όσους επλήγησαν από αυτό να πάρουν μέρος σε μια διαμάχη με την πολιτεία και τους υπεύθυνους και να ζητήσουν αποζημίωση. Δεν είναι φυσικά ο μόνος που προσπάθησε να εκμεταλλευτεί το τραγικό δυστύχημα, αλλά είναι ο μόνος που παραθέτει την άποψή του στο βιβλίο. Οι περισσότεροι δεν συμπαθούν τους δικηγόρους, όμως η υπόσχεση για μια πολύ υψηλή αποζημίωση είναι αυτή που θα τραβήξει τους κατοίκους της μικρής πόλης όπως το φως τις νυχτοπεταλούδες. Ο συγκεκριμένος όμως, είναι ένας άνθρωπος με πολλή οργή μέσα του αφού έχει κι αυτός τους δικούς του προσωπικούς εφιάλτες να τον κατατρώνε. Πιστεύει δηλαδή, πως δεν εκμεταλλεύεται την κατάσταση, αλλά πως πραγματικά βοηθάει αυτούς τους ανθρώπους.
Η Νικόλ, ένα από τα κορίτσια που επέβαιναν στο λεωφορείο και κατάφερε να βγει ζωντανή από τον εφιάλτη, αλλά με τεράστιο κόστος είναι η τέταρτη φωνή που περιγράφει την ιστορία. Και είναι η Νικόλ που θα δώσει τη θεραπεία στον πυρετό των μηνύσεων που έχει καταλάβει τους συμπολίτες της. Ο τρόπος της είναι αντισυ��βατικός και σε βάρος κάποιων αθώων ανθρώπων, αλλά φαίνεται πως τη συγκεκριμένη στιγμή, στη συγκεκριμένη περίπτωση και για τους συγκεκριμένους ανθρώπους είναι ίσως η καλύτερη λύση. Ίσως η καλύτερη λύση για την ίδια, αν και οι δικοί της εσωτερικοί δαίμονες δεν πρόκειται να σωπάσουν έτσι.
Τα συναισθήματα που έχει κανείς διαβάζοντας αυτό το βιβλίο είναι ανάμεικτα. Όμως πρέπει να έχει στο νου του ότι πρόκειται για μια απομακρυσμένη μικρή πόλη, στα τέλη της δεκαετίας του 80, ό,τι και αν σημαίνει αυτό.
December 20, 2012
"Newtown" (which as well as now being synonomous with a horrible tragedy, is also the name of a sleepy, quaint 300 year old New England town a few miles from where I went to high school) got me thinking about this book. I read it many years ago, but it affected me deeply at the time. After I saw the film (which is one of those rare adaptations that may almost eclipse the novel), I read the book and could not stop thinking about either for days. I had the book group I was running at the time read it - mostly moms and grandmas, they hated it. The novel asks, what happens to you when the worst thing in the world, something that seems unimaginable to you, becomes your reality? Are you compelled to pinpoint, quantify and assign blame? What does that do to you? Does it help you or hurt you? Does it help or harm a community? While the "worst thing in the world" in the novel differs in some significant ways from the unimaginable in Newtown, I still think this book may be timely reading for anyone currently contemplating those types of questions.
April 4, 2024
A powerful novel. Banks was a true master of the form.
November 20, 2013
Huh. This book reminded me of the movie "Crash" --- it had that same feel of being a moving and at times heart squashing view of different people's lives and the way they come together to misunderstand each other. At the same time, it's very different than Crash because the central conflict or story is this bus accident and how people grapple with it.
The writing was good, and at times the words were profound and very insightful. On the whole, I liked the book and I'm glad I read it. I wouldn't read it again and I recommend it with reservation (plenty of swearing and gritty material). At the same time, I wish I could discuss it with someone.
SPOILER ALERT:
So the dust jacket says the following: "This is a large-hearted novel whose telling is, despite all, often warm and humorous and ends in a remarkably orchestrated redemption."
The best thing I can say about the book is that the characters are so real. The four people who tell the story are very different from each other. Delores, the bus driver, I loved. The lawyer I liked too- though his angry attitude and vocation (ultra aggressive litigation lawyer) disturbed me. He was disturbing, but also very intelligent, at times entertaining, and so understandable throughout. The other two narrators I could take or leave, but the sexual details of Billy's affair and Nichole being molested- those I could've done without.
I think it's interesting that modern adult literature considers itself more honest if it talks about sex. Certainly, it can play a big role in some stories, especially ones with romance, but it this one it seemed to be a gritty accessory rather than something necessary. Maybe, after a couple centuries of people feeling they couldn't mention words like "erection" in literature, maybe now we're going to the other extreme in an effort to compensate.
To me, the story doesn't have much redemption at the end. The end was sort of a "I'll be my own individual and not give a #$%! about what other people think" resolution. Individualism is all good and fine, and in the book the bus driver's moment of clarity that she exists independent of the others is beautiful to read, but I suppose I was hoping for the redemption and resolution of the community--- yes, one girl lying and saying that the bus driver was speeding saved the community from years of lawsuits, yes, it was satisfying to see that the lawyer didn't get to nail someone's head to the wall just to satisfy his anger (never realizing that he was tearing apart a community to do it).
But what about the big lie, incriminating the bus driver that everyone had initially felt was as much a victim as the dead and crippled children? When she left her home town and community at the end of the book, it didn't seem like she was running away from prejudice, she was leaving because she felt she didn't belong- but she didn't belong anywhere- she and the children in the bus accident were "solitaries living in a sweet hereafter… absolutely alone… and even [their] shared aloneness did not modify the simple fact of it."
The other parents we saw intimately- their lives more or less fell apart after they lost their children. And the town- the community- it comes together in the closing scene of the book- but it comes together in a fickle way, making me feel that community isn't worth much at all if it can act with such callousness and then be so transient in its opinions and feelings.
So, for me as a reader, this was not a story of redemption. But it was interesting and profound.
The writing was good, and at times the words were profound and very insightful. On the whole, I liked the book and I'm glad I read it. I wouldn't read it again and I recommend it with reservation (plenty of swearing and gritty material). At the same time, I wish I could discuss it with someone.
SPOILER ALERT:
So the dust jacket says the following: "This is a large-hearted novel whose telling is, despite all, often warm and humorous and ends in a remarkably orchestrated redemption."
The best thing I can say about the book is that the characters are so real. The four people who tell the story are very different from each other. Delores, the bus driver, I loved. The lawyer I liked too- though his angry attitude and vocation (ultra aggressive litigation lawyer) disturbed me. He was disturbing, but also very intelligent, at times entertaining, and so understandable throughout. The other two narrators I could take or leave, but the sexual details of Billy's affair and Nichole being molested- those I could've done without.
I think it's interesting that modern adult literature considers itself more honest if it talks about sex. Certainly, it can play a big role in some stories, especially ones with romance, but it this one it seemed to be a gritty accessory rather than something necessary. Maybe, after a couple centuries of people feeling they couldn't mention words like "erection" in literature, maybe now we're going to the other extreme in an effort to compensate.
To me, the story doesn't have much redemption at the end. The end was sort of a "I'll be my own individual and not give a #$%! about what other people think" resolution. Individualism is all good and fine, and in the book the bus driver's moment of clarity that she exists independent of the others is beautiful to read, but I suppose I was hoping for the redemption and resolution of the community--- yes, one girl lying and saying that the bus driver was speeding saved the community from years of lawsuits, yes, it was satisfying to see that the lawyer didn't get to nail someone's head to the wall just to satisfy his anger (never realizing that he was tearing apart a community to do it).
But what about the big lie, incriminating the bus driver that everyone had initially felt was as much a victim as the dead and crippled children? When she left her home town and community at the end of the book, it didn't seem like she was running away from prejudice, she was leaving because she felt she didn't belong- but she didn't belong anywhere- she and the children in the bus accident were "solitaries living in a sweet hereafter… absolutely alone… and even [their] shared aloneness did not modify the simple fact of it."
The other parents we saw intimately- their lives more or less fell apart after they lost their children. And the town- the community- it comes together in the closing scene of the book- but it comes together in a fickle way, making me feel that community isn't worth much at all if it can act with such callousness and then be so transient in its opinions and feelings.
So, for me as a reader, this was not a story of redemption. But it was interesting and profound.
July 3, 2010
This book blew me away with its beautiful writing, many layers of story and the credible tension that Russell Banks was able to create out of such a simple premise, in fact it almost reads like a mystery. Banks writes in such a way that he opens up the small town of Sam Dent and deposits you right in the middle of it leaving you feeling as if you personally know all the characters or might have once lived there yourself. It is also an interesting character study and from my experience realistic in the way each person here deals differently with grief; Some self-destruct while others find new strength, all want to lay blame somewhere and everyone in this once innocent town is irreversibly changed. Banks manages to show all sides of these ordinary characters, even the negative and because this was written from 4 different perspectives almost anyone will be able to find a piece of themselves in one of them. Ultimately it will leave you looking at yourself and those around you differently because every town has its secrets.
As I said the story is simple; One snowy morning a school bus goes off the road and into the frozen waters of a small American town, 14 children are lost in the accident and its citizens are confronted with life's most disturbing question when the worst happens who do you blame and how do you cope? We then enter surviving school bus driver Deloris Driscoll's head as she recalls the morning of the accident and introduces us to the town and its members while making stops along the bus route.
We then switch to widower and war veteran Billy Ansel who is following the bus on his way to work, his story is heartbreaking and full of secrets. The narration then turns to New York lawyer and pariah Mitchell Stevens who has come to Sam Dent like all the other lawyers and media to try and make a buck off the tragedy, surprisingly I really enjoyed his view as you can`t always judge a book (lawyer) by its cover. We also hear form 14 year old Nicole Burnell, who before the accident was a cheerleader and the town princess and is now confined to a wheelchair, her part in the story shocked me.
I highly recommend this and hope to now see if the movie can live up to this amazing book.
As I said the story is simple; One snowy morning a school bus goes off the road and into the frozen waters of a small American town, 14 children are lost in the accident and its citizens are confronted with life's most disturbing question when the worst happens who do you blame and how do you cope? We then enter surviving school bus driver Deloris Driscoll's head as she recalls the morning of the accident and introduces us to the town and its members while making stops along the bus route.
We then switch to widower and war veteran Billy Ansel who is following the bus on his way to work, his story is heartbreaking and full of secrets. The narration then turns to New York lawyer and pariah Mitchell Stevens who has come to Sam Dent like all the other lawyers and media to try and make a buck off the tragedy, surprisingly I really enjoyed his view as you can`t always judge a book (lawyer) by its cover. We also hear form 14 year old Nicole Burnell, who before the accident was a cheerleader and the town princess and is now confined to a wheelchair, her part in the story shocked me.
I highly recommend this and hope to now see if the movie can live up to this amazing book.
July 9, 2007
I meant to pick up "The Reading Group" for a light change of pace after "Nickel and Dimed," but I had to take Naava to the pediatrician who often discusses literary fiction with me (he reads a lot of the same books I do, but in Hebrew translation) and I was embarrassed to come in with a fluff book. What can I tell you; we all indulge our vanity where we can. Meanwhile, after a 1.5 hour wait in the waiting room I'm too into the book to put it down now. "The Reading Group" will have to wait.
Update -- Ok, I finished it. Wow. Very interesting and provocative, if somewhat tragic and depressing. Great for a book club. It reminded me of "Seven Types of Ambiguity" with its multiple unreliable narrators. I was impressed with many things about this book. First, I thought the author really captured the "voices" of his different narrators in a very authentic way -- they were really all different people, as opposed to books like "My Sister's Keeper" where they all sounded the same. Second, I was particularly impressed with the chapter that was written from the point of view of the ambulance chasing lawyer. The author actually made you second-guess whether an ambulance chaser could possibly have a morally upright, or at least sympathetic, motive. He did a wonderful job of making the ambulance chasing lawyer both sleazy and sympathetic, a truly complex character, as opposed to being all one or the other, or worse, unrealistically switching between the two. In general, the writing was excellent and I thought this was a wonderful exploration of both the aftermath of a tragedy and the limits of perspective.
Update -- Ok, I finished it. Wow. Very interesting and provocative, if somewhat tragic and depressing. Great for a book club. It reminded me of "Seven Types of Ambiguity" with its multiple unreliable narrators. I was impressed with many things about this book. First, I thought the author really captured the "voices" of his different narrators in a very authentic way -- they were really all different people, as opposed to books like "My Sister's Keeper" where they all sounded the same. Second, I was particularly impressed with the chapter that was written from the point of view of the ambulance chasing lawyer. The author actually made you second-guess whether an ambulance chaser could possibly have a morally upright, or at least sympathetic, motive. He did a wonderful job of making the ambulance chasing lawyer both sleazy and sympathetic, a truly complex character, as opposed to being all one or the other, or worse, unrealistically switching between the two. In general, the writing was excellent and I thought this was a wonderful exploration of both the aftermath of a tragedy and the limits of perspective.
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