Only Revolutions

This was a GREAT book. The only problem is your left-brain is getting in the way. Having to read the words distracts you from the story. I recommend you listen to the audio book read by the author (and an actress) in order to truly understand the epic narrative as the author envisioned it.

Disregard the other bad reviews about this novel/epic poem. Yes at first the language and format is difficult, but who cares? Moby Dick is a hard read at first, but no-one denies its raw power and genius. And yes I use Moby Dick in the same paragraph as Only Revolutions because they are both among the greatest American novels ever. The format is genius. The language is breathtaking and spellbinding. The truth and metaphors found therein are cutting. The style is quantum. And to top it off its simply fun to read once you allow the language pour into you. I recommend reading it aloud or at least quietly pronouning the words. It makes the narrative flow much better.

OR is a very challenging read and works much more like a novelistic slam poem than a regular novel. However, if you read it to yourself and really listen to the language, it becomes much easier to decipher what the story really is and makes it impossible to not fall in love with these characters and this novel. A brilliant work by an amazing artist. A work of fiction that I will never forget.

Meet Sam. You'll meet him initially on November 22, 1863. It is the Civil War. Sam is 16 years old. Meet Hailey. You'll meet her initially on November 22, 1963. President Kennedy has just been assassinated. Hailey is 16 years old. It just may turn out, however, that you'll meet Hailey before you meet Sam. ONLY REVOLUTIONS is the newest creation from the incredible mind of Mark Z. Danielewski, the man responsible for driving readers crazy with HOUSE OF LEAVES. You have to give Danielewski credit when it comes to this new work because he obliterates any notions people may have had about his copying the format of the previous work. The only manner in which the two books are similar is that they are so far removed from any way you have ever experienced books. Trying to describe ONLY REVOLUTIONS is not easy. Trying to explain its story is even more difficult. The easiest way to give an indication of the story is to merely explain that you have two characters, Sam and Hailey, and we follow them through the course of history. From November 22, 1863 until January 19, 2063, we move through history with Sam and Hailey, and all along this incredible journey they are forever 16. Life and the changes in the fabric of time are viewed through eyes of green and gold, always on the cusp of adulthood but never those of a child. In looking at the layout of the novel, and it seems awkward to refer to it as such, you will see some things that strike you as odd right away. The book is double-sided. Sam and Hailey tell their story, and in order to get from one to the other you actually have to flip the book. This is a play on one of the themes: infinity, or eternity. Reading the book itself is circular, infinite. The page numbers are contained within a circle along the outside margin halfway down the page. Since the book has two sides, it has two sets of page numbers, each within their own circle, contained together within the main circle. As you turn pages and make your way through the tale, these circles revolve around one another, just as Sam and Hailey revolve around each other, just as their stories revolve around each other's, just as the reader is brought in and encircled by their tale. But that's not all. Along the inner margin of the pages you will find a date and a sequence of events through history. Some are mere events, some are snippets of quotes. Some talk of people who "go" where it is not too hard to understand after a brief time that to "go" means to die. When settling down with the book, the pages may seem overwhelming. There is the story text, the upside down text from the story running the other way, the history passages and revolving circles. In an effort to simplify the experience a reader may be inclined to ignore what seem to be meaningless historical tags. That would be a mistake. Danielewski is a man whose words have meaning and context. The mess you see on the pages becomes more understood and easier to maneuver as the story is engage

Mark Z. Danielewski stunned readers with his debut, "House of Leaves," a bizarre down-the-rabbit-hole tale of madness, surreality and a house where space is unending. Now six years later, Danielewski has produced his follow-up -- the equally strange, scintillating road-trip novel "Only Revolutions." The format is mind-bending, the characters equally strange -- and Danielewski hasn't lost his touch for the compelling, poignant, the postmodern, and the post-weird. Hailey and Sam are a pair of eternal teenagers, apparently untouched by time either physically or psychologically ("We're always sixteen!"). They careen through much of American history -- past and present -- in a changing fleet of cars, touching down in various important places and times. But though they have no responsibilities, Hailey and Sam are not free of cares. As they run through the US, they seem to be enmeshed in the goings-on of wars, parties, exploration and social revolution (the Civil War). Will they escape the oppressive THEM pursuing them, or lose what is most important to them? For a cult author, there's always a question about whether they can stay fresh and cutting-edge. Fortunately, Danielewski has outrun that particular concern. "Only Revolutions" is written in the same surreal freestyle as "House of Leaves," but the author never forgets to include the story as well. And as the Escherian plot unwinds ("unfolds" just doesn't fit), it becomes obvious that this is actually two stories: a love story, and a sort of American allegory. They are rebels and free spirits, running up against bizarre characters -- like the multi-military Creep -- who seem symbolic of the nastier sides of our society. Hailey and Sam are the ones who represent the better side of the country. Danielewski is still fascinated by places/people where time and space are warped. That includes the entire book -- every page. Each page has a scramble of quotes and text on its sides. There is vivid abstract poetry, blank pages (the future), geometric plotting, shrinking pages, mysterious side-notes submitted by Danielewski's fans... ... and oh yeah, you can flip the book upside down and read the two different "sides" of the story. One is Hailey, one is Sam. They are compared to legendary lovers like Tristan and Isolde, Romeo and Juliet, but that's not too far off. Their love evolves as they do, and by the end they are more endearing if less vibrant than at the start of their story. "Only Revolutions" is both a work of postmodern art and an endearing novel, and while it's hard work to follow Hailey and Sam to the end of their journey, it's worth the trip. Absolutely brilliant.