Do You like book The Raw Shark Texts (2007)?
The Raw Shark Texts was released back in 2007 by first time U.K. author, Steven Hall. In some circles, it’s been referred to as some bizarre cross between Jaws and The Matrix with perhaps a little Da Vinci Code thrown in there for good measure. It follows the story of Eric Saunderson who awakes on his bedroom floor without any memories. While the man retains his basic motor functions, he remembers nothing resembling emotions or sense of identity. Shortly upon awaking, Eric finds a note left by the “first Eric Saunderson” with basic instructions on how to resume his life. From this point forward a proverbial can of worms is opened and the mystery unfolds itself in an addictive way, by which I mean, it’s really hard to put this book down.I had an experience like this when I read “House of Leaves”. The stories are quite different but the layout is just as ambitious. While Danielewski goes above and beyond with liner and foot notes as well as scratches and interchanging fonts, Hall goes with long gaps of pages with little to no words as well as diagrams and exhibits. The changing style throughout the novel really adds to the experience and gets the reader more involved in what is happening to Eric’s world. There’s something about this style that I really like. I guess it’s refreshing to pick up a book that not only feels different but looks different as well. Some people could probably write this off as some sort of gimmick but changing things up once in a while should be welcomed.While Hall is working on a second book, whether he can produce something on par to Raw Shark Texts remains to be seen but I know that I’ll be checking it out. Let’s just hope he doesn’t go in the direction of Danielewski’s Only Revolutions.Cross posted @ Every Read Thing
—Brandon
Trying to write a thoughtful review and one that is useful to other users for The Raw Shark Texts is difficult as it doesn't lend itself to such a task.An equal problem I encounter are my own feelings. In truth, for me this was frequently not a book to be easily enjoyed and it is tempting to slip into a 'what-I-would-have-liked-this-book-to-be' style of reviewing. But against these difficulties I found this book to be captivating. Sure I had to put it down and leave it at times and on other occasions it felt like I was slogging through sections but in the end I was compelled to finish it nonetheless. For me at least, now finished, it felt worth the trouble. (view spoiler)[The narrative is what by and large wins me over. It is the stories and to a lesser extent the characters who kept me plodding on. When I say stories, I mean stories. Looking back now that I have completed the novel it feels like The Raw Shark Texts is a hashing together of a few different potential novels. A romance, a tragedy of love lost, the suspense of lost identity, a sci-fi horror, a story of a fantastic beast (or shark in this case) and a strange and adventurous journey. Sure, a narrative can have all these elements but my problem with their presence in The Raw Shark Texts is they don't sell as a unified narrative but instead a stitching together of discrete narratives. A good idea alone does not a good novel make and piling in a few more for good measure only serves to exacerbate the problem. Even with this criticism though it was these unfolding narratives that kept me engaged. I kept reading in anticipation of more of one or another narrative being revealed or followed up on. Perhaps I continued where a less hopeful or optimistic reader would have left off. The characters also kept me in engaged for similar reasons. I continued to read in anticipation of finding out more about the original Eric Sanderson, the deceased Cilo Aames and to a lesser extend Scout. The story of Eric and Cilo which largely motivated the narrative of The Raw Shark Texts was one I kept waiting to be revealed further. Though by the end, really all I cared about was the survival of Ian the cat. One major difficulty I have is that it reads for the most part as a treatment for a potential Hollywood blockbuster This despite some truly stellar writing in the first part of the book. It is clear Hall has the capacity to be a great writer but by and large it doesn't feel as though he is bringing his complete ability to this novel. I also felt let down by the gimmicky nature of The Raw Shark Texts. The clear one is the appearance of the shark in text with in the novel. In regard to that I am ambivalent, so that's not my issue. The apparent existence of extant material or missing chapters is however unspeakably frustrating. While I enjoy a slow reveal and mystery their discrete existence outside the text is problematic as it is a clear barrier to being able to genuinely appreciate and comprehend the text. When I sit down to read a book I do not expect it is necessary to join the cult behind it to gain access to the full text. The cynical part of me feels like it is a marketing ploy and just an excuse to release The no-long-RAW-but-COMPLETE Shark Texts further down the line. (hide spoiler)]
—Caleb
It has been years since I read The Raw Shark Texts but it still remains as one of the most ambitious, daring and bold debut novels I have had the pleasure to read in my lifetime. It is an bizarre and resounding melange of everything you can think of which makes it hard to label. As many before me, and many after me, has stated it is as if watching Matrix that takes its influences from Memento. From Da VInci Code. Even from Jaws itself. And still manages to be something astonishingly unique and original in a familiar context.The Raw Shark Texts is also a novel that makes you incredible sad if you are not surrounded by book loving people as it screams to be analyzed, talked and chopped to pieces, to be fully appreciated and understood.Note: I read this in Finnish.Also posted at: http://hfk.booklikes.com/
—Hunger For Knowledge
