The Tunnel

[Anonymous No.15127152]

Is this an actual underrated book worth buying, or is this another machination of memes?

[Anonymous No.15127176]

>>15127152
There was a thread about it earlier today which was extremely positive so I started reading it. I read about 60 pages and there were bits that were very interesting, he has crazy metaphor ideas, just very cool turns of phrase he comes up with. But I could tell this was going to be one of those 'mix the ugliness with beauty' type depressing novels so I doubt I will read it.

[Anonymous No.15127186]

>>15127152
Currently halfway through it
It's very good, superbly written, and genuinely touching. A bit of a chore to pick up and read. I wouldn't call it underrated. It is also not a doomer book, really.

[Anonymous No.15127211]

>>15127152

[Anonymous No.15127243]

>>15127152
>is enjoying book
>doesn't read it

[Anonymous No.15127352]

>>15127152
I got about 100 pages in and gave it up. As >>15127186 says, it feels like a chore. The text requires so much mental concentration to get through, and Gass doesn't really care to let the plot unfold in any way that lets you feel grounded in the story. When I saw, on first flip-through, that the book had illustrations in it, I thought, "Oh neat!" And as I was reading I was looking forward to the next illustration so that I could have a momentary break from the dense text, but the illustrations are a kind of sick joke. They are so stupid and simplistic, it's almost like it's making fun of you for choosing to look at them. They don't have any artistic merit, whereas the novel itself—my god, it's beautiful. I gave the book up because I couldn't hack it, but I was gobsmacked by some of his descriptions. One that sticks with me (this attempted reading was a year and a half ago) is a description of the Jews being led to the murder pit in the early days of the Holocaust, before there were camps. He moves, in detail, from the grandparents whispering "it'll be okay" to the kids near the back of the line even as they know it won't be, to the murder by machinegun fire in the pit, the pile of bodies, to the different German SS men carrying out the massacre and how they feel, including one very nuanced depiction of the emotional life of a real sadist among the SS men, who enjoys the work. It's one of the most saddening scenes I've encountered in fiction from any era, but he wove it with such art and precision that I reread it four times before moving on.

This is a book that it is impossible to categorize as "good or bad" or "worth or not worth" your time or money. I won't be attempting to read it again for a long time.

[Anonymous No.15127477]

>>15127176
>>15127186
>>15127352

Do we have any thoughts from people who have read The Tunnel AND Gass's nonfiction writings? I don't want to invalidate your opinions, but I wonder if knowing about Gass's literary philosophies adds more to his fiction. People speak highly of his essays and literary criticism.