The Inactivist

By: Chris Eaton

Insomniac Press 2003

 

Do you know the definition of a plot line for the standard novel?  You may have learned in (junior) high school.  Turns out that it was Aristotle who detailed the standard steps a plot takes (who said we never studied the greats in high school?)  You might not have known it was Aristotle but you must remember it:

    

        (1) prologue (conflict) - boy meets girl;

        (2) rising action (crises) - boy loses girl;

        (3) climax -  boy gets girls back;

        (4) conclusion (resolution) - boy and girl live hapily ever after. 

 

It looked like a wave with a sharp decline after the climax.  

 

Most stories still follow this model even some 2300 years after Aristotle said they should.

 

Now I personally do not want to encourage contemporary writers to step further away from that model.  I like my stories with rising action and climaxes.  In short, I like plots.  Too many of what we still (for some reason) call novels read more like a series of vignettes loosely bound together by some common character or theme.

 

On the other hand, The Inactivist is truly a fine book and I do want to encourage not only more people to read it but also more people to write books that are this interesting, fresh and enjoyable.

 

The main character of the novel, Kitchen (that's really his name), is in advertising.  The book is a little bit about Kitchen and his quest for love and a lot about advertising, capitalism and the socio-political climate that we find ourselves currently entrenched in: A climate where the sell is often more important than the truth (as if we really know what that word means).

 

The extremely imaginative writing style that Eaton uses makes reading this book a bit demanding - but only in a good way.  That is, when I use the word "demanding", I do not mean difficult.  As he has avoided the standard structure of the novel, Eaton has also abandoned many of the rules of the English language and, in doing so, has created a refreshing style that is truly his own.  The language demands that you pay attention and really read the book but, in forcing the reader to pay a bit more attention, Eaton creates what I would consider a better reading experience.  

 

It is almost impossible for me to do justice to the joy that I found in the style of this book, particularly after reading the praises of the back cover which include this gem by Lawrence Garber:

 

What any writer is after in some primary, essential way is a texture that is all his/her own.  I hear Eaton's texture in these pages, strident, assertive, commanding the turf, engaging me at once and sustaining the melody all the way.  His style is constantly in motion, his characters define themselves by the very style that encloses them, and his larger subversive narrative voice sets them up like a malevolent straight man reversing the equation.

Now I am not going to lie to you and act like I know what Garber means by much of this (particularly the simile "… like a malevolent straight man reversing the equation.") but, despite the fact that Garber really has not said very much (I think he calls Eatons style engaging in there but it is hard to be sure), I feel like I agree with this (probably) glowing review. 

This book truly is engaging.  This book truly is interesting. This book is truly funny.  And this book (if you like reading) is going to threaten your whole idea about what it means to read -  because this book makes reading a two way street.  In short (without reference to plot) would be in a list of my favourite books (if I had such a list).  It certainly is the best book I have read in quite a long time.

But this book isn't all about writing style.  It is also about our culture.  And it is about our culture at a level that most books do not come close to.  It is about how we, as a society, see things and, perhaps more importantly, how we have been trained to see things.  It does not answer any of the major questions of the day but it does bring a novel way of examining the questions.  The main character (i.e. Kitchen) is in advertising but the book isn't about advertising in any tangible way (that is, you do not get much of an impression about what being in advertising must be like), the book is about the Form of advertising;  The Truth of advertising;  The Realness of advertising.  The book is about what it means to be selling and sold-to and provides (in my opinion) real insight into the capitalist, consumer society we live in.  At the same time that it does this, it is funny as hell.  The book is literally littered with hilarious, make-believe ad schemes that are funny in part because of how close they come to what might be (or have been) the case.

The things I like about this book so greatly outweigh the fact that it does not have a traditional plot that I feel I must question of my preferience for plot-driven novels.  My only complaint about this story (and I must use this term "complaint" loosely), in fact, is that it ended too soon.  Part of me thinks that a lot more would have wrecked it, but like my palate at the end of a huge Christmas dinner, part of me would still like to have been able to taste more without adding to my sense of fullness.

Aside from the fact that I could have used a little more, my only serious complaint about this book (as a work in its entirety) is the cover art (sorry to Ross Bonfanti).  If there was a reason de etre for the front cover I do not fully see it.  Looking at the cover as a piece of art in its own right (and it is), I like the texture between the wood and the sculpture.  Moreover, the naïve infant in the tie obviously juxtaposes well with Kitchen's growth as a human being but … well, it is kind of ugly at first glance and I cant see it helping to sell the book.

Overall (in my opinion), if you love reading for the pleasure of reading, you will love this book.  If you love reading solely for entertainment (in the sense that a Stephen King novel is entertaining) but do not wish to be challenged when you read (in the sense that a Stephen King novel is not challenging - no shame in that for you or Big Steve) then this book might not be for you (but I think you should read it anyway). 

END NOTE:  As an end note I should say that I know the author, Chris Eaton, personally (although it is not like we are best buddies or anything).  Knowing Chris, however, had nothing to do with the praises I have heaped upon his novel.   I am not, in short, trying to promote a friend.  I am, however, trying to promote a great novel.  If I have any true agenda at all it is merely to convince more people to read this book so that they may share in the biblio-fun that I received while reading it.  I also greatly enjoy Chris Eaton's music (although it may not be for everyone) and both his music and his writing can be accessed at rockplazacentral.com.