May 8th, 2010 / 7:46 pm
 Random

Thunk & Theme

Plot and “literary” are not mutually exclusive. We know this.

Cold Mountain (took 15 years to write but worth it)

The Lathe of Heaven (convoluted, yes, but every other page is a closed envelope we want to open)

The Road (obvious, but so is Cajun food with beer. Yet who would eat Cajun food without beer?)

So.

What is the best action/plot/page-churn/turn novel with a theme (a vague term, commence the coughing, but you know I mean: So What?/Idea of Life/Quickening of Human Heart/Quickening of Mind/Aspect of Life Experience/Etc.)?

Plot AND Theme.

Your choice?

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24 Comments

  1. May 8th, 2010 / 11:17 pm Timmo—

      Cryptonomicon. Or Candide.

  2. May 8th, 2010 / 11:47 pm David—

      Anything by China Mieville.

  3. May 8th, 2010 / 11:48 pm Morningstar—

      The Crying of Lot 49

  4. May 9th, 2010 / 12:24 am shelvin—

      alan moore is the master of plot with a theme. from hell and watchmen are both singular.

  5. May 9th, 2010 / 3:17 am Timmo—

      Cryptonomicon. Or Candide.

  6. May 9th, 2010 / 3:47 am David—

      Anything by China Mieville.

  7. May 9th, 2010 / 3:48 am Morningstar—

      The Crying of Lot 49

  8. May 9th, 2010 / 4:24 am shelvin—

      alan moore is the master of plot with a theme. from hell and watchmen are both singular.

  9. May 9th, 2010 / 9:52 am gavin pate—

      The Postman Always Rings Twice and Kiss Me, Judas and The Talented Mr Ripley. Or much of the best in mystery and noir.

  10. May 9th, 2010 / 1:52 pm gavin pate—

      The Postman Always Rings Twice and Kiss Me, Judas and The Talented Mr Ripley. Or much of the best in mystery and noir.

  11. May 9th, 2010 / 5:33 pm Mork—

      Jesse Ball’s The Way Through Doors
      dozens of plots in one novel all very friendly with one another, and the most page-churning I’ve read in… a year? A while.

  12. May 9th, 2010 / 6:29 pm d—

      Fatelessness by Kertesz.

  13. May 9th, 2010 / 9:33 pm Mork—

      Jesse Ball’s The Way Through Doors
      dozens of plots in one novel all very friendly with one another, and the most page-churning I’ve read in… a year? A while.

  14. May 9th, 2010 / 10:29 pm d—

      Fatelessness by Kertesz.

  15. May 10th, 2010 / 10:16 am Nick Antosca—

      The Magus

  16. May 10th, 2010 / 10:17 am Nick Antosca—

      L.A. Confidential

  17. May 10th, 2010 / 10:26 am Tim Horvath—

      Alex Garland’s The Tesseract is my pick. Dan Chaon’s Await Your Reply, which I’m in the middle of now, also pulls off this exacta.

  18. May 10th, 2010 / 11:17 am alan rossi—

      yes.

  19. May 10th, 2010 / 2:16 pm Nick Antosca—

      The Magus

  20. May 10th, 2010 / 2:17 pm Nick Antosca—

      L.A. Confidential

  21. May 10th, 2010 / 2:26 pm Tim Horvath—

      Alex Garland’s The Tesseract is my pick. Dan Chaon’s Await Your Reply, which I’m in the middle of now, also pulls off this exacta.

  22. May 10th, 2010 / 3:17 pm alan rossi—

      yes.

  23. May 10th, 2010 / 3:48 pm JimR—

      Cload Atlas?

  24. May 10th, 2010 / 7:48 pm JimR—

      Cload Atlas?