I'm glad Eric has found someone to talk to at last. He seems to get along well with Scout, in a way reminiscent of his relationship with Clio. Eric says she gave him a smile and "something flared inside me, something distant, different, familiar, alien. A ghost of something." I'm not sure if this specifically has to do with Clio, but the comparison does come up again when he notices the tattoo on her foot - did she know Clio or is it just a coincidence? I find it interesting that Eric is having dreams relating to the Light Bulb Fragment, as he seems to be remembering things he really has no recollection of. Hall beautifully describes Eric's attempt to grasp the memory: "the dream was coming apart, it's bright silk strands unwinding into nebulous emotions…" I still don't quite get what Nobody is, or what being only a concept of a person means with reference to all the pills he had to take, but it creeped me out nonetheless, which is kind of the point I think.
The chemistry between Eric and Scout complements the Eric and Clio scenes well. Even if they don’t end up getting involved (they probably shouldn’t), the tension keeps the scenes interesting. They’re connected to each other in their journey. I think The Raw Shark Texts needed a living, female character to keep Eric in line. Hall portrays her realistically, many different shades of gray—she isn’t Lisbeth Salander, and she isn’t helpless. She’s in the middle, and I’m grateful for that. I’m grateful that Hall’s style of writing involves ordinary people in extraordinary situations. I’ve been thinking about Scout’s smiley face tattoo (p. 171). I can’t remember if the scene where Clio mentioned the same tattoo was a dream or an extract from The Lightbulb Fragment. Let’s say it’s the former. Then, if we assume that Scout knew Eric before (based on her comment about the menthol cigarettes), Eric could have projected the tattoo idea onto Clio, while it was really based on a memory of Scout. Maybe she’s helped him before? I don’t think she’s really Clio in disguise. Since his mind is so fractured, his brain could be replacing gaps in his memories of Clio, with the first Eric Sanderson’s more recent memories of Scout. Since dreams are a mixture of memories anyways. WHAT IF CLIO NEVER EXISTED?!
This section dealt a lot with time and memories. On page 160, Eric discusses how he feels about being thrown into finding out about the Ludovician. When he first woke up, he was completely content with spending his days watching tv, caring for Ian, and leaving all First Eric Sanderson letters and warnings alone. When the shark attacks him at home, he realizes he is in danger and that he must do SOMETHING. He leaves to find Trey Fidorious, but even after his experience with Mr Nobody, Eric really doesn’t want to be part of this conspiracy. Scout now makes the situation more real for him – there is someone who can help him, who knows about his situation. Before, Eric cared about the past – who Eric Sanderson was, what his relationship with Clio was like, why there was no information about the past. However, he now has to think about the FUTURE. His future is now like a parallel universe of his past. He is on some kind of adventure, he has a female love interest whom he connects with on a level higher than other people, what was order and predictability is now chaos and unpredictability. By pursuing his past, he is both creating a new future and mirroring his unknown past. I like the thought that we can’t know if something actually happened if no is left to remember it.
So far, Scout seems like a fairly interesting character. Her interactions with Eric are strikingly similar to Eric’s interactions with Clio, and she even shares the same body type and physical features, (pale, thin, small breasts, hip motions, etc.) Though fairly obvious she even has that same dark sense of humor embodied by the smiley face tattoo on her toe. I thought this was a fairly clever way, by Hall, of keeping Clio Ames in Eric’s life outside of dreamland, and giving him someone to socialize with while he’s traveling other than a very humanlike cat with a human name. I have also to note that it’s funny to see how Eric and someone like Clio get along outside of a sexual relationship. There definitely seems to be a lot of sexual tension between the two especially when Eric is thinking about her while she’s changing in and out of his own clothes. It’s almost as if he feels closer to her because she’s wearing his pair of boxer shorts even though he admits that he doesn’t really know much about her.
Their whole trip through un-space is still a little boring since the shark hunt is on hiatus and there’s no one else underground besides Eric and Scout, but at least I am witnessing some good character development. It seems that Eric and Scout get along too well, however this seems to be necessary if they’re going to be able to work well together. This happened so fast that I really don’t see any basis behind their friendliness just yet but Scout definitely is hiding a lot more than she lets on. So until then, we’ll just have to wait and see.
In this chapter I noticed that the relationship that Eric has formed with Scout is similar to the one he had with Clio. Eric is able to easily joke around and have a semi-meaningful conversation with her. What I found intresting in this chapter is that she is so much like Clio. I started thinking that maybe she could be Clio. She could be Clio because Eric sees that she has a tattoo of a smiley face on her big toe and that the reason she got it was the same reason as Clio's. Scout is part of the un-space commitee but not a fully paid member and knows where Trey Fidorous and agrees to take Eric there in exchange for payment. What I found funny in this chapter was how human like Eric treats Ian. He talks to him like a regular adult. I also find it funny how awkward Eric acts in small parts because he is attracted to Scout. Besides that this chapter is just the interaction between them on the journey to find Fidorous. What confused me was when Scout says that Nobody's employer is part of her as well besides "something malfunctioned and horrible" (pg 195). I just kept wondering what could have caused her to be a small part of Nobody's employer.
Mr. Nobody is a good character for Hall to add. He is mysterious and eerie. He has important information but is not as helpful as Eric might wish for. A new rule I have created for myself; never trust someone who freaks about over popping pills. Mr. Nobody makes me realize how much of this story could be in Eric’s mind and not physically real. I really enjoy Page 158 and the girl rescuing Eric is exactly what would happen in a movie. I would like to visualize someone who cant see the shark watch Eric freak out throughout the story.
Is Scout Clio? I’m starting to think so. That would be a very creative way for the author to write this story. I think that Eric is part of some kind of conspiracy, and he is completely clueless of the truth. So are the readers. I like the concept of the hole in the bookstore. I think that Eric is going to learn that he is insane, being fooled, or dreaming. If not, then these events aren’t actually occurring and are symptoms of his mental condition.
I really really liked this book. I read this section so fast. Steven Hall had so many amazing descriptions. On the first page, in the third full paragraph, I love those first two lines, "I'd lived a detached and carefully controlled existence - all detailed planning,trying to stay safe... The world around me had transformed into a hot liquid thing, alive and twisting..." I love how this describes how Eric sees the world. In his own, twisted way. On the second page, I also liked how Scout said, "Eric Sanderson, I know." It seemed to have taken Eric by surprise and its funny how a lot of people seem to know who he is. I was so happy to find out that Scout was the girl from the phone call. It had been bothering me that I hadn't gotten an answer. When Scout said she worked for the Un-Space Committee, it really pissed me off how no one would touch Eric's case. Its just rude. Another part I thought was funny, was how Ian seemed to like Scout. Almost as if he knew her. When I found out that Scout has a tattoo on her big toe, I immediately thought of Clio. Could Scout really be Clio? Or is it just a coincidence. One of my favourite lines on page 175 was when Eric said, "I felt around in my head and then in a burst of shoch I remembered." I like that he didn't say, "I thought for a while," but used different words and a totally different sentence to get the same point across. So much happened in this section, and I enjpyed all of it.
So yes, the relationship between Scout and Eric is definitely similar to that of Clio and Eric. But honestly, there is something that I don't like about it. I really like how Clio seems to be, and I feel like Scout is kind of taking over her role in Eric's life, and I don't like that. It was SO surprising when we find out that Scout has a tattoo of a smiley face on her big toe. When I read that I wrote a huge OMG next to it. Maybe (I think it was Tom who said it) Tom was right when he said that perhaps Clio and Scout are the same person. That would be so weird if that was true! I think I would like Scout better then...haha. I loved the Haruki Murakami quote. It's so true. We are definitely getting more Alice in Wonderland references. I wonder where Steven Hall will go with all of them though. I don't really like when there are continuous references to something, but in the end don't really mean anything. I'm looking forward to the rest of the book for that reason, and also because I just really like it!
I love that Scout is in the picture with Eric now. There's a new sense of hope in the way that Eric is acting, and feeling. Scout is something that he can finally hold onto and I feel that, for Eric, there's a huge sense of security in that.
Hall does a great job with writing this though. He doesn't have Eric place all his bets with her, Eric still holds onto things like before. I loved the fact that Eric was nervous, almost uncomfortable, about bringing Scout down to eat and have Aunt Ruth meet her. The way that he was afraid of what Aunt Ruth was going to think made him become even more human to me. Let's face it, we all fear what others are thinking of us and how we're being judged. Hall wrote it out in a very realistic way. He captured what people really think when they're put into awkward situations.
I found it very interesting when Eric describes Scout as "Proto-beautiful". That idea could be connected to the idea of the evolution of the conceptual fishies. : ) One of my favorite quotes of this section: " The words she didn't say left a little air-pressure gap where they should have been." This is a brilliant description of that moment when you realize that someone isn't telling you something, and the weight of their silence carries more information than their words.
Of course I love the Haruki Murakami quote, but I could go on forever about him. I'm glad Steven Hall appreciates Murakami; the mark of a great writer is appreciating other great writers. ^_^
When we first met Mr. Nobody, I found him similar to the Ludovician, and my view is reinforced with what Scout says, "Your shark probably saw him as a potential rival." I like the idea that there is a certain human essence that isn't conceptual, and can't be devoured by the Shark. Eric is living proof of that.
I loovveee this quote, "The throwing and the coming back is the boomerang... Without that part, you're just carrying a bent stick around." It's so true! A perfectly written line that expresses such a true, basic idea. Brilliant.
This latest chapter has some really interesting revelations in it! I like that Erics rescuer is named after the girl from To Kill a Mockingbird, it provides something of a subliminal look into her character I like to think. I am made a tad curious though by all of her similarities to Clio, chiefly among them the tattoo on her toe and her general air of sexual confidence. I wonder if like Eric, Clios personality was consumed by the Ludovician, and bits of it have either completely disappeared, or have passed on to another person. Another of the details in the chapter that I enjoyed was the kind of pills that Mr. Nobody was taking to keep himself alive. It makes sense with what they are though. If he was a living concept and was dying, then he would need to refresh different ideas or aspects of his personality in order to stay alive. A thought, if a concept has taken human form, and isn't dying like Mr. Nobody was, is it possible to tell them apart from a human being? Also, are these living concepts vulnerable physically in the same ways that we are, or is it only possible to do away with them on their own terms, with other concepts? I ask, because despite the fact that they are concepts, they are gathered together under human flesh, and that unless I miss my guess can be destroyed, causing the ideas that make up this being to disperse. - Asher
booooooo her name is scout, she should be clio!!!! I like the emotions that eric is feeling for scout unfortunetly she is not clio but i hope he does end up with her so they can beoth have one another's company. IAN is soo cute!! >.< The whole idea of it being a letter bomb is just like woahhhhhh thats so cool. Crazy but i understand now that the only way to get the shark confused is by giving him words so he looses his path in finding Eric. Idk if Eric likes the fact that Ian is getting along with Scout, i feel like he is jealou in a way but then again i feel like he is happy to know that Ian also likes Scout . HERRRRRR TOEEEEE :)." He wasn't really a human being anymore, just the idea of one. A concept wrapped in skin and chemicals."( pg. 178) that's Mr. Nobody for ya lol. i feel like this chapter is like sick undercover and i bet there will be plenty of more action to come. Eric has a crush on her , see ..." I might well have found the most annoying girl in the world. I smiled. In spite of everything i felt fresh and alive,..." (pg.180) I can clearly picture the whole scenerio to the leaving the jeep outside to breaking in the library and the whole part where they knock down the books and create a hole on the ground. IAn makes me want to cry a little he is so cute and obviously hes being taken on the journey at will. " He was either very scared, or surprisingly calm, considering." (Pg.187)
I'm happy the tape in the broken Dictaphone wasn't broken but it seem a little convenient that it wasn't. I love that Scout is an unofficial member of the Un-Space Exploration Committee. I also love that Eric called Ian an "arsehole" ad that Scout said you want that in a cat. I'm not sure if that's what you ant in a cat but that's definitely what you tend to get. I absolutely love the letter bomb if I was a superhero that would be my weapon of choice. I found it really sad that all Scout wanted to do was be "normal" for one night.
Oh My Gosh!!! Scout has a smiley face tattoo on her toe!!!!! What?!?!? Is she Clio or did Eric meet Scout before and has messed the two women together?
Mr. Nobody's pills were so cool! I wish I had a few of those sometimes, like concentration. why did they have to bring Ian? I like about reading him but I don't to have to worry about him the whole time. When they let him out of the carrier in the warehouse I was really worried that he wasn't going to come back!
I love that to get to unspace you have to do things in a certain order or non of it will work. I really like the idea of being in a bookstore before anyone else gets there it must be so peaceful. This version of the rabbit hole is the most literal one we've seen so far, it's also my favorite. I've always loved the idea of there being secret passage ways behind book shelves.
I thought it was so funny that they told each other bad jokes while walked. I love telling bad jokes. I loved that Eric tried to reason with Ian to come back by telling him that he had a can of tuna an that Ian would be much worse off without Eric than Eric would be without him. (I don't that's the case at all).
The idea of a letter bomb, I thought, was a good addition to this world of conceptual beings. The fact that the shark is confused by all the different information streams fit well into the story. It gave the shark more depth and helped to make the whole world Eric and Scout live in a little bit fuller.
The whole thing with Ruth's husband was very creepy. I'm not sure if it will come up again but the idea of different people all fighting their own battles was a nice thought. It made you think about all the other people that are struggling too. It was also nice for Eric to have someone that understood and accepted his situation without question.
I loved seeing all the pills that made Mr. Nobody into the almost human thing he had been. The way all the emotions fit together to make an almost person was really cool. It also creates good tension for Eric and Scout. Eric is unsure about whether or not a person amounts to more than just emotions but Scout is sure of it. The whole idea makes Eric think about his own situation, because without memories he is unsure about how different he is from Mr. Nobody. The fact that Mr. Nobody called them the same person really unnerved Eric.
The way they got into unspace annoyed me a little. The way they were able to leave all the books out in the open made me wonder about who else knows about unspace. I loved the way Hall describes history as sinking downwards. It was a really cool idea to have Eric and Scout be completely cut off from society because they use what society has made but no longer remembers. It kinda reminds me of Eric and how he keeps using his money and his house but he doesn't remember anything about how he got it.
The idea of a letter bomb, I thought, was a good addition to this world of conceptual beings. The fact that the shark is confused by all the different information streams fit well into the story. It gave the shark more depth and helped to make the whole world Eric and Scout live in a little bit fuller.
The whole thing with Ruth's husband was very creepy. I'm not sure if it will come up again but the idea of different people all fighting their own battles was a nice thought. It made you think about all the other people that are struggling too. It was also nice for Eric to have someone that understood and accepted his situation without question.
I loved seeing all the pills that made Mr. Nobody into the almost human thing he had been. The way all the emotions fit together to make an almost person was really cool. It also creates good tension for Eric and Scout. Eric is unsure about whether or not a person amounts to more than just emotions but Scout is sure of it. The whole idea makes Eric think about his own situation, because without memories he is unsure about how different he is from Mr. Nobody. The fact that Mr. Nobody called them the same person really unnerved Eric.
The way they got into unspace annoyed me a little. The way they were able to leave all the books out in the open made me wonder about who else knows about unspace. I loved the way Hall describes history as sinking downwards. It was a really cool idea to have Eric and Scout be completely cut off from society because they use what society has made but no longer remembers. It kinda reminds me of Eric and how he keeps using his money and his house but he doesn't remember anything about how he got it.
In this reading, I really like the new female character called Scout because she has a tattoo and seems to be a really badass person. On page 164, there is a dialogue that reminds Eric of Clio. For some reason I am hoping that Scout is in reality Clio so that there can be a happy ending in this story. The Letter bomb was really amusing because the way they described it was radical. I liked that they said that the explosion sent metal letters in a flow where the shark swims in. I found it interesting that John was smoking next to the Yellow Jeep and that he knows exactly what Eric is going through. This is in a way a relief for Eric because people believe him about his dilemma. He may not be alone in this situation. I think it is awesome that Scout has a tattoo of a Happy Face. I liked the line on page 178 where it says that “A concept wrapped in skin and chemicals… That sounds like a human being to me.” This is so true. When they mention Un-Space Exploration Committee, it is a direct reference to the idea and theme of unspace. I liked the reference of Dawn of the Dead, because it fit perfectly with the scene. I pictured perfectly in my head, them walking down the street in the dark loading up and walking down the alley. The scene when they go into the bookstore was cool because it works as a distraction from the shark because there are concepts, ideas and words all around. All these ideas keep away the shark. I really liked the line regarding the boomerang and brainstorming at the end. “Without that part, you’re just carrying around a bent stick around”. I thought it was really sexy when Scout took off her cloths, infront of Eric. AWESOME!!!!!!!!
I like the addition of Scout to the story. I think that Scout being in the picture can make the book carry on in a number of different various ways whereas after a while, only having Eric as the sole character (with the exception of Clio making a few brief appearances) can probably become very dull and boring after a while. While Hall made this new female character sound so much like that of Clio, it made sense. Like many men, Eric likes the same traits and kinds of women, but it feels like Scout is better and that her relationship with Eric will probably work. I have hope for them, though I do wonder…. Could it be that Scout is Clio? Could Scout not even actually exist? Could Clio have not existed? There are so many possibilities in this type of story with a character who has this type of brain damage.
20 comments:
I'm glad Eric has found someone to talk to at last. He seems to get along well with Scout, in a way reminiscent of his relationship with Clio. Eric says she gave him a smile and "something flared inside me, something distant, different, familiar, alien. A ghost of something." I'm not sure if this specifically has to do with Clio, but the comparison does come up again when he notices the tattoo on her foot - did she know Clio or is it just a coincidence?
I find it interesting that Eric is having dreams relating to the Light Bulb Fragment, as he seems to be remembering things he really has no recollection of. Hall beautifully describes Eric's attempt to grasp the memory: "the dream was coming apart, it's bright silk strands unwinding into nebulous emotions…"
I still don't quite get what Nobody is, or what being only a concept of a person means with reference to all the pills he had to take, but it creeped me out nonetheless, which is kind of the point I think.
The chemistry between Eric and Scout complements the Eric and Clio scenes well. Even if they don’t end up getting involved (they probably shouldn’t), the tension keeps the scenes interesting. They’re connected to each other in their journey. I think The Raw Shark Texts needed a living, female character to keep Eric in line. Hall portrays her realistically, many different shades of gray—she isn’t Lisbeth Salander, and she isn’t helpless. She’s in the middle, and I’m grateful for that. I’m grateful that Hall’s style of writing involves ordinary people in extraordinary situations. I’ve been thinking about Scout’s smiley face tattoo (p. 171). I can’t remember if the scene where Clio mentioned the same tattoo was a dream or an extract from The Lightbulb Fragment. Let’s say it’s the former. Then, if we assume that Scout knew Eric before (based on her comment about the menthol cigarettes), Eric could have projected the tattoo idea onto Clio, while it was really based on a memory of Scout. Maybe she’s helped him before? I don’t think she’s really Clio in disguise. Since his mind is so fractured, his brain could be replacing gaps in his memories of Clio, with the first Eric Sanderson’s more recent memories of Scout. Since dreams are a mixture of memories anyways. WHAT IF CLIO NEVER EXISTED?!
This section dealt a lot with time and memories.
On page 160, Eric discusses how he feels about being thrown into finding out about the Ludovician. When he first woke up, he was completely content with spending his days watching tv, caring for Ian, and leaving all First Eric Sanderson letters and warnings alone. When the shark attacks him at home, he realizes he is in danger and that he must do SOMETHING. He leaves to find Trey Fidorious, but even after his experience with Mr Nobody, Eric really doesn’t want to be part of this conspiracy. Scout now makes the situation more real for him – there is someone who can help him, who knows about his situation. Before, Eric cared about the past – who Eric Sanderson was, what his relationship with Clio was like, why there was no information about the past. However, he now has to think about the FUTURE. His future is now like a parallel universe of his past. He is on some kind of adventure, he has a female love interest whom he connects with on a level higher than other people, what was order and predictability is now chaos and unpredictability. By pursuing his past, he is both creating a new future and mirroring his unknown past.
I like the thought that we can’t know if something actually happened if no is left to remember it.
So far, Scout seems like a fairly interesting character. Her interactions with Eric are strikingly similar to Eric’s interactions with Clio, and she even shares the same body type and physical features, (pale, thin, small breasts, hip motions, etc.) Though fairly obvious she even has that same dark sense of humor embodied by the smiley face tattoo on her toe. I thought this was a fairly clever way, by Hall, of keeping Clio Ames in Eric’s life outside of dreamland, and giving him someone to socialize with while he’s traveling other than a very humanlike cat with a human name. I have also to note that it’s funny to see how Eric and someone like Clio get along outside of a sexual relationship. There definitely seems to be a lot of sexual tension between the two especially when Eric is thinking about her while she’s changing in and out of his own clothes. It’s almost as if he feels closer to her because she’s wearing his pair of boxer shorts even though he admits that he doesn’t really know much about her.
Their whole trip through un-space is still a little boring since the shark hunt is on hiatus and there’s no one else underground besides Eric and Scout, but at least I am witnessing some good character development. It seems that Eric and Scout get along too well, however this seems to be necessary if they’re going to be able to work well together. This happened so fast that I really don’t see any basis behind their friendliness just yet but Scout definitely is hiding a lot more than she lets on. So until then, we’ll just have to wait and see.
In this chapter I noticed that the relationship that Eric has formed with Scout is similar to the one he had with Clio. Eric is able to easily joke around and have a semi-meaningful conversation with her. What I found intresting in this chapter is that she is so much like Clio. I started thinking that maybe she could be Clio. She could be Clio because Eric sees that she has a tattoo of a smiley face on her big toe and that the reason she got it was the same reason as Clio's. Scout is part of the un-space commitee but not a fully paid member and knows where Trey Fidorous and agrees to take Eric there in exchange for payment. What I found funny in this chapter was how human like Eric treats Ian. He talks to him like a regular adult. I also find it funny how awkward Eric acts in small parts because he is attracted to Scout. Besides that this chapter is just the interaction between them on the journey to find Fidorous. What confused me was when Scout says that Nobody's employer is part of her as well besides "something malfunctioned and horrible" (pg 195). I just kept wondering what could have caused her to be a small part of Nobody's employer.
Mr. Nobody is a good character for Hall to add. He is mysterious and eerie. He has important information but is not as helpful as Eric might wish for. A new rule I have created for myself; never trust someone who freaks about over popping pills. Mr. Nobody makes me realize how much of this story could be in Eric’s mind and not physically real. I really enjoy Page 158 and the girl rescuing Eric is exactly what would happen in a movie. I would like to visualize someone who cant see the shark watch Eric freak out throughout the story.
WOOPS! Wrong One^^^
Is Scout Clio? I’m starting to think so. That would be a very creative way for the author to write this story. I think that Eric is part of some kind of conspiracy, and he is completely clueless of the truth. So are the readers. I like the concept of the hole in the bookstore. I think that Eric is going to learn that he is insane, being fooled, or dreaming. If not, then these events aren’t actually occurring and are symptoms of his mental condition.
I really really liked this book. I read this section so fast. Steven Hall had so many amazing descriptions. On the first page, in the third full paragraph, I love those first two lines, "I'd lived a detached and carefully controlled existence - all detailed planning,trying to stay safe... The world around me had transformed into a hot liquid thing, alive and twisting..." I love how this describes how Eric sees the world. In his own, twisted way. On the second page, I also liked how Scout said, "Eric Sanderson, I know." It seemed to have taken Eric by surprise and its funny how a lot of people seem to know who he is. I was so happy to find out that Scout was the girl from the phone call. It had been bothering me that I hadn't gotten an answer. When Scout said she worked for the Un-Space Committee, it really pissed me off how no one would touch Eric's case. Its just rude. Another part I thought was funny, was how Ian seemed to like Scout. Almost as if he knew her. When I found out that Scout has a tattoo on her big toe, I immediately thought of Clio. Could Scout really be Clio? Or is it just a coincidence. One of my favourite lines on page 175 was when Eric said, "I felt around in my head and then in a burst of shoch I remembered." I like that he didn't say, "I thought for a while," but used different words and a totally different sentence to get the same point across. So much happened in this section, and I enjpyed all of it.
-Amanda
So yes, the relationship between Scout and Eric is definitely similar to that of Clio and Eric. But honestly, there is something that I don't like about it. I really like how Clio seems to be, and I feel like Scout is kind of taking over her role in Eric's life, and I don't like that. It was SO surprising when we find out that Scout has a tattoo of a smiley face on her big toe. When I read that I wrote a huge OMG next to it. Maybe (I think it was Tom who said it) Tom was right when he said that perhaps Clio and Scout are the same person. That would be so weird if that was true! I think I would like Scout better then...haha. I loved the Haruki Murakami quote. It's so true. We are definitely getting more Alice in Wonderland references. I wonder where Steven Hall will go with all of them though. I don't really like when there are continuous references to something, but in the end don't really mean anything. I'm looking forward to the rest of the book for that reason, and also because I just really like it!
I love that Scout is in the picture with Eric now. There's a new sense of hope in the way that Eric is acting, and feeling. Scout is something that he can finally hold onto and I feel that, for Eric, there's a huge sense of security in that.
Hall does a great job with writing this though. He doesn't have Eric place all his bets with her, Eric still holds onto things like before. I loved the fact that Eric was nervous, almost uncomfortable, about bringing Scout down to eat and have Aunt Ruth meet her. The way that he was afraid of what Aunt Ruth was going to think made him become even more human to me. Let's face it, we all fear what others are thinking of us and how we're being judged. Hall wrote it out in a very realistic way. He captured what people really think when they're put into awkward situations.
I love how the reading starts off on the page of 160, "I'd lived a detached....I was involved." Halls description and detail is impeccable. I think it perfectly explains what Eric is experiencing, but expressing it in a very poetic and “gooey” way.
I love Scout. I did pick up on the similarities between her and Clio. I want her to say, “I am actually Clio.” There is so much similarity between hers and Eric’s relationship and similarities between her in Clio (i.e. the tattoo) that I find it hard to believe that it could not be her. Plus I love a happy romantic ending.
Oddly enough this reading IS my favorite reading. I know it did not have the most action but Hall’s writing was so amazing I felt so wrapped up in what was going that I felt like I was watching a movie. Can I just point out, how cliché that a hot sexy girl is leading the clueless boy and saving his behind : ). But yet again I am a sucker for those cliché movies. I also did love, “let’s just be normal for today.”
I can’t really say much besides I love Hall’s engaging writing. The story itself was fun but it definitely was not as exciting as the last reading but oddly I enjoyed it more.
I found it very interesting when Eric describes Scout as "Proto-beautiful". That idea could be connected to the idea of the evolution of the conceptual fishies. : ) One of my favorite quotes of this section: " The words she didn't say left a little air-pressure gap where they should have been." This is a brilliant description of that moment when you realize that someone isn't telling you something, and the weight of their silence carries more information than their words.
Of course I love the Haruki Murakami quote, but I could go on forever about him. I'm glad Steven Hall appreciates Murakami; the mark of a great writer is appreciating other great writers. ^_^
When we first met Mr. Nobody, I found him similar to the Ludovician, and my view is reinforced with what Scout says, "Your shark probably saw him as a potential rival." I like the idea that there is a certain human essence that isn't conceptual, and can't be devoured by the Shark. Eric is living proof of that.
I loovveee this quote, "The throwing and the coming back is the boomerang... Without that part, you're just carrying a bent stick around." It's so true! A perfectly written line that expresses such a true, basic idea. Brilliant.
This latest chapter has some really interesting revelations in it! I like that Erics rescuer is named after the girl from To Kill a Mockingbird, it provides something of a subliminal look into her character I like to think. I am made a tad curious though by all of her similarities to Clio, chiefly among them the tattoo on her toe and her general air of sexual confidence. I wonder if like Eric, Clios personality was consumed by the Ludovician, and bits of it have either completely disappeared, or have passed on to another person. Another of the details in the chapter that I enjoyed was the kind of pills that Mr. Nobody was taking to keep himself alive. It makes sense with what they are though. If he was a living concept and was dying, then he would need to refresh different ideas or aspects of his personality in order to stay alive. A thought, if a concept has taken human form, and isn't dying like Mr. Nobody was, is it possible to tell them apart from a human being? Also, are these living concepts vulnerable physically in the same ways that we are, or is it only possible to do away with them on their own terms, with other concepts? I ask, because despite the fact that they are concepts, they are gathered together under human flesh, and that unless I miss my guess can be destroyed, causing the ideas that make up this being to disperse. - Asher
booooooo her name is scout, she should be clio!!!! I like the emotions that eric is feeling for scout unfortunetly she is not clio but i hope he does end up with her so they can beoth have one another's company. IAN is soo cute!! >.< The whole idea of it being a letter bomb is just like woahhhhhh thats so cool. Crazy but i understand now that the only way to get the shark confused is by giving him words so he looses his path in finding Eric. Idk if Eric likes the fact that Ian is getting along with Scout, i feel like he is jealou in a way but then again i feel like he is happy to know that Ian also likes Scout . HERRRRRR TOEEEEE :)." He wasn't really a human being anymore, just the idea of one. A concept wrapped in skin and chemicals."( pg. 178) that's Mr. Nobody for ya lol. i feel like this chapter is like sick undercover and i bet there will be plenty of more action to come. Eric has a crush on her , see ..." I might well have found the most annoying girl in the world. I smiled. In spite of everything i felt fresh and alive,..." (pg.180)
I can clearly picture the whole scenerio to the leaving the jeep outside to breaking in the library and the whole part where they knock down the books and create a hole on the ground. IAn makes me want to cry a little he is so cute and obviously hes being taken on the journey at will. " He was either very scared, or surprisingly calm, considering." (Pg.187)
I'm happy the tape in the broken Dictaphone wasn't broken but it seem a little convenient that it wasn't. I love that Scout is an unofficial member of the Un-Space Exploration Committee. I also love that Eric called Ian an "arsehole" ad that Scout said you want that in a cat. I'm not sure if that's what you ant in a cat but that's definitely what you tend to get. I absolutely love the letter bomb if I was a superhero that would be my weapon of choice.
I found it really sad that all Scout wanted to do was be "normal" for one night.
Oh My Gosh!!! Scout has a smiley face tattoo on her toe!!!!! What?!?!? Is she Clio or did Eric meet Scout before and has messed the two women together?
Mr. Nobody's pills were so cool! I wish I had a few of those sometimes, like concentration. why did they have to bring Ian? I like about reading him but I don't to have to worry about him the whole time. When they let him out of the carrier in the warehouse I was really worried that he wasn't going to come back!
I love that to get to unspace you have to do things in a certain order or non of it will work. I really like the idea of being in a bookstore before anyone else gets there it must be so peaceful. This version of the rabbit hole is the most literal one we've seen so far, it's also my favorite. I've always loved the idea of there being secret passage ways behind book shelves.
I thought it was so funny that they told each other bad jokes while walked. I love telling bad jokes. I loved that Eric tried to reason with Ian to come back by telling him that he had a can of tuna an that Ian would be much worse off without Eric than Eric would be without him. (I don't that's the case at all).
The idea of a letter bomb, I thought, was a good addition to this world of conceptual beings. The fact that the shark is confused by all the different information streams fit well into the story. It gave the shark more depth and helped to make the whole world Eric and Scout live in a little bit fuller.
The whole thing with Ruth's husband was very creepy. I'm not sure if it will come up again but the idea of different people all fighting their own battles was a nice thought. It made you think about all the other people that are struggling too. It was also nice for Eric to have someone that understood and accepted his situation without question.
I loved seeing all the pills that made Mr. Nobody into the almost human thing he had been. The way all the emotions fit together to make an almost person was really cool. It also creates good tension for Eric and Scout. Eric is unsure about whether or not a person amounts to more than just emotions but Scout is sure of it. The whole idea makes Eric think about his own situation, because without memories he is unsure about how different he is from Mr. Nobody. The fact that Mr. Nobody called them the same person really unnerved Eric.
The way they got into unspace annoyed me a little. The way they were able to leave all the books out in the open made me wonder about who else knows about unspace. I loved the way Hall describes history as sinking downwards. It was a really cool idea to have Eric and Scout be completely cut off from society because they use what society has made but no longer remembers. It kinda reminds me of Eric and how he keeps using his money and his house but he doesn't remember anything about how he got it.
The idea of a letter bomb, I thought, was a good addition to this world of conceptual beings. The fact that the shark is confused by all the different information streams fit well into the story. It gave the shark more depth and helped to make the whole world Eric and Scout live in a little bit fuller.
The whole thing with Ruth's husband was very creepy. I'm not sure if it will come up again but the idea of different people all fighting their own battles was a nice thought. It made you think about all the other people that are struggling too. It was also nice for Eric to have someone that understood and accepted his situation without question.
I loved seeing all the pills that made Mr. Nobody into the almost human thing he had been. The way all the emotions fit together to make an almost person was really cool. It also creates good tension for Eric and Scout. Eric is unsure about whether or not a person amounts to more than just emotions but Scout is sure of it. The whole idea makes Eric think about his own situation, because without memories he is unsure about how different he is from Mr. Nobody. The fact that Mr. Nobody called them the same person really unnerved Eric.
The way they got into unspace annoyed me a little. The way they were able to leave all the books out in the open made me wonder about who else knows about unspace. I loved the way Hall describes history as sinking downwards. It was a really cool idea to have Eric and Scout be completely cut off from society because they use what society has made but no longer remembers. It kinda reminds me of Eric and how he keeps using his money and his house but he doesn't remember anything about how he got it.
Sorry don't know how I published twice.
In this reading, I really like the new female character called Scout because she has a tattoo and seems to be a really badass person. On page 164, there is a dialogue that reminds Eric of Clio. For some reason I am hoping that Scout is in reality Clio so that there can be a happy ending in this story. The Letter
bomb was really amusing because the way they described it was radical. I liked that they said that the explosion sent metal letters in a flow where the shark swims in. I found it interesting that John was smoking next to the Yellow Jeep and that he knows exactly what Eric is going through. This is in a way a relief for Eric because people believe him about his dilemma. He may not be alone in this situation. I think it is awesome that Scout has a tattoo of a Happy Face. I liked the line on page 178 where it says that “A concept wrapped in skin and chemicals… That sounds like a human being to me.” This is so true. When they mention Un-Space Exploration Committee, it is a direct reference to the idea and theme of unspace. I liked the reference of Dawn of the Dead, because it fit perfectly with the scene. I pictured perfectly in my head, them walking down the street in the dark loading up and walking down the alley. The scene when they go into the bookstore was cool because it works as a distraction from the shark because there are concepts, ideas and words all around. All these ideas keep away the shark. I really liked the line regarding the boomerang and brainstorming at the end. “Without that part, you’re just carrying around a bent stick around”. I thought it was really sexy when Scout took off her cloths, infront of Eric. AWESOME!!!!!!!!
I like the addition of Scout to the story. I think that Scout being in the picture can make the book carry on in a number of different various ways whereas after a while, only having Eric as the sole character (with the exception of Clio making a few brief appearances) can probably become very dull and boring after a while. While Hall made this new female character sound so much like that of Clio, it made sense. Like many men, Eric likes the same traits and kinds of women, but it feels like Scout is better and that her relationship with Eric will probably work. I have hope for them, though I do wonder…. Could it be that Scout is Clio? Could Scout not even actually exist? Could Clio have not existed? There are so many possibilities in this type of story with a character who has this type of brain damage.
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