Consumed by David CronenbergMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
This was a very engrossing read. High-tech, pop-culture references punctuate a sprawling cosmopolitan narrative that is rich in international detail and breadth. The discussions of brand loyalty as a function of a highly developed and commercialized society contrast brightly with old-world sensibilities and sinister plots to manipulate technology and indeed humanity against itself.
I read through the entire book in a single morning and was left with a profound sense that I had encountered something that would resonate with my own personal experiences indefinitely.
Despite (or perhaps because) Cronenberg's tendency towards the horrifying and macabre is juxtaposed against a cast of very placid and demure characters, the tension and the suspense are palpable throughout. Murder, cannibalism, self-mutilation, and disease stalk through the novel, casting sinister shadows across even the most domestic scene or technical description of photographic and sound equipment.
The reason that I didn't give the book a full five stars is that, like Clive Barker, Cronenberg seems afraid of endings, and as the book neared its close, the narrative started to become stuttering and hesitant. The immediacy of the previous chapters seemed to waver. It lacked, as Peter Shaffer's Salieri would say, a good bang to let people know when to applaud. This is not a bad thing in and of itself, but in this instance, it seemed to indicate a slight loss of control on the part of the author.
View all my reviews
