Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Audiobook Review: The Unnamed by Joshua Ferris

The UnnamedThe Unnamed opens with the Farnsworths, a middle-aged couple living in an affluent NY suburb, as they face another bout of "it"  "It" is a mysterious illness that has beset Tim, a successful attorney and father to teenaged Rbebceca.  Tim is compelled to walk for extended periouds of time for no apparent reason.  He walks for days and days without rest and without heed to the elements; he is often found by the police or his family in the next state and collapsed in a parking lot or wooded area. He struggles as he tries to hide the disorder and its effects (mising fingertips from frostbite, long, unexaplined absences) from his co-workers and maintains a measured calm at the office.

Despite his best effors, Tim's career, marriage, relationship with his daughter and his physical well being are all threatened by this mysterious illness that comes in bouts without warning.  As with any other chronic, debilitating illness, the entire family is impacted as they cope with the fear of what may come next and try to protect Tim from himself when "it" reappears.

It's More Than Just the Walking . . .
I first found myself fascinated by the medical mystery and as I listened I tried to guess the obscure abnoramility that could be causing Tim to walk without end.  I waited for more to be revealed that would offer the significant clue to what ailed either Tim's mind or body which compelled him to walk until exhaustion.  However, I soon realized that the walking was really secondary to what the ailment revealed about Tim's relationships with those closest to him - especially his wife, Jane, and daughter, Becca.  As the family grapples with Tim's bouts, issues between the family members began to reveal themselves.  Becca, an overweight and troubled teen, resents the time her father spent working throughout her childood and clearly feels that his parenting has left something lacking within her.  Tim is forced to confront this when he is housebound (chained to bed in fact) in an attempt to prevent him from walking during one of his episodes.  Becca remains home to watch him and the two share some touching scenes over a couple of seasons of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.  It is clear this is the first time Tim has really spent time to get to know his daughter and his recognition that he has somehow failed Becca is powerful.  It is a realization many parents likely face at some point even though the circumstances that force the realization are very different from Tim's.

As Jane and Tim cope with his illness, their marriage and its weaknesses are explored.  They face many of the challenges faced by some middle-aged couples including infidelity, a battle with alcholism and resentments that have accrued over the years.  Again, Tim's illness created unusual circustances by which these issues are revealed and also serves to amplify them.  But I couldn't help thinking that Tim and Jane's struggles are likely similar to many couples married for almost 20 years - the emotions and frustrations they face in their marriage are ones to which many can relate.



The writing is exacting and poetic at times and I often found myself thinking about a turn of phrase written by Ferris.  The author reads the book himself - he does not use a lot of inflection and seems "flat" at time but somehow it works for this book - he does speak with an urgency in certain passages which I found fitting for the urgency with which Tim is propelled during his bouts.  I also enjoyed the author's reading of the novel because I felt I was hearing it exactly as he intended as opposed to an actor's/narrator's interpretation; for this book, I appreciated that.

As Tim was compelled to walk, I was compelled to continue to listen and the audio kept me captivated until the end.  I will definitely go back and read Then We Came to the End: A Novel - I like Ferris's style and his use of language. If you enjoy complex family dramas with keen observations about life, marriage and middle age, you will enjoy this one!

16 comments:

  1. I've yet to read this one, but want to. Sounds good/

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  2. I read Then We Came to the End a couple of years ago - really liked it. I listened to The Unnamed. I'm glad the author read it - for the reasons you mention. I listened while on my morning walk (couple of miles) and then kept listening when I got home because I couldn't stop - a page turner for the ears, I guess. Such an intriguing novel - probably on my 2010 Favorites list.

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  3. I also listened to the audioversion and really enjoyed it...glad you did too!

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  4. I listened to this on audio too (and am not usually an audiobook listener) and loved it. I was on a road trip by myself and opted to take the backroads instead of the interstate. It was the perfect accompaniment to the novel, even though there were times I wished I could write down quotes. I'm looking forward to reading his first book too. Have you read it?

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  5. I haven't read it but definitely will. I am opting for reading it rather than listening because I want to savor the writing which is harder to do on audio (especially while driving!)

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  6. Interesting. I would think this would be depressing from the description of the story, but then you said how much you liked it (as well as some of your commenters saying so). Now I'm intrigued.

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  7. I don't know why I didn't love this as much as others - I think I expected something different. I did really like it, but not as much as I thought I would.

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  8. i haven't read any books by joshua ferris, but he's definitely on my list of authors to read. that's pretty cool that he read the book himself rather than have someone else do it.

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  9. I haven't read Ferris yet, but the premise of this one definitely intrigues me.

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  10. Wow! Really thorough review of what sounds like an original book. I especially liked how you considered the audio component. I never buy books on CD due to the cost, but I should take them out of the library with all the kid pick up driving that I do.

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  11. I wasn't crazy about this one at first, but then I got sucked into the story. You're so right that the walking creates a sense of urgency...it comes through as you're reading it, too.

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  12. I've just started listening to this. I haven't really liked it that much so far, but thanks to your review I have hopes of it getting better.

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  13. I have an ARC of this one, but I haven't gotten around to reading it. I should pick it up soon!

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  14. This sounds like an incredibly intriguing book. I wonder if reading the book would be significantly different than listening to it.

    You have an award waiting: http://www.fictionfolio.com/2010/09/one-lovely-blog-award.html

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  15. Loveee complex family dramas... Or rather, family stuff in general. I definitely want to check that book out... I just finished up with You Better Not Cry, by Augusten Burroughs. Probably a different tone.
    Speaking of which. Thought you might be interested in my blog. I run a collaborative blog - DysfunctionalBeginnings.com. Literary works about growing up, family, and beginnings in general (expressed in a variety of mediums!) Submissions go to dysfunctionalbeginnings@gmail.com.
    Let me know what you think!
    Thanks for your support...

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  16. Loved, loved, loved this book! Like you, I listened to it in audio (on the treadmill, no less; talk about motivation!). I haven't yet read AND THEN WE CAME TO THE END, either, but it has been added to 'the list' ...

    Espcially liked Ferris' portrayal of the relationships between Tim & Becca and Tim & Jane.

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