I remember enjoying Allegra Goodman’s The Cookbook Collector very much when it was published back in 2010 which is partly what attracted me to The Chalk Artist, that and what promised to be an exploration of the all-consuming nature of gaming. I’m not a gamer but I am an obsessive reader and so I can see the attraction of losing yourself entirely in a world other than the real one. In some ways Goodman’s new novel echoes her previous one, exploring the world of new technology and contrasting it with the older more established one of literature.
Collin is a talented artist. He chalks the backdrops for his friends’ theatrical productions, often staged in unlikely venues. He makes his money from part-time jobs, one of which is waiting at Grendel’s where his attention has been snagged by a beautiful young woman, a teacher who comes to the bar twice a week to mark her students’ papers, oblivious of the racket around her. Eventually these two get together. They have much in common but their worlds are very different: she, it turns out, is the daughter of the man who owns Arkadia, the designers of EverWhen which once consumed Collin’s attention; he is the son of a teacher – comfortably alternative and popular with her students – who takes in lodgers to make ends meet. Before long Nina finds herself unable to resist prodding Collin into doing better for himself, introducing him to her father who takes him on, spotting a useful asset for his company. Meanwhile, sixteen-year-old Aidan frequently pulls all-nighters playing EverWhen, worrying his mother and his twin sister who has her own demons to wrestle. Aidan’s obsession with his female EverWhen companion pays off in the form of a black box which opens up UnderWorld to him, a virtual reality game not yet on the market. With her sharp marketing eye, Daphne has spotted a way to manipulate expert gamers, fanning the flames of the already fevered anticipation of this new game. As Nina struggles to imbue her students with a love of literature, Collin is pulled further into Arkadia with its playground offices and exacting taskmasters.
Just as she did with The Cookbook Collector, Goodman uses a love story to explore the way in which technology shapes the modern world, sometimes to its detriment. Nina represents the values of education while Arkadia is portrayed as a manipulative organisation, quite capable of employing fake protestors to surround their launches with publicity-snatching controversy. I can’t judge the authenticity of the vivid gaming descriptions but Aidan’s obsession seemed all too believable and may ring loud bells for a few parents of teenagers seduced by the promise of a world more exciting than their own. The mismatch between gamers’ glamourous avatars and their owners’ physical reality is a particularly convincing touch. It’s a book which draws you in with an edge of suspense and engaging central characters but it’s not without flaws: Aidan’s twin Diana seemed a little neglected. Just as I thought we were about to explore her story as a counterpoint to Aidan’s, she faded away, making a brief reappearance towards the end. An absorbing read and an interesting insight into the gaming world but not quite a match for The Cookbook Collector for me, I’m afraid, although that did set the bar rather high.
This sounds really interesting. I used to play Civilisation obsessively, these days it’s just Solitaire!
I’d be interested to see what a gamer made of this one, Lisa
Interesting review, Susan. It’s a bit of a shame that there’s a tendency to focus on the negative aspects of gaming and technology (though I, like many others, have a mixed view of technological ‘development’) particularly as gaming has massive positive potential in harnessing, quite openly, the massive potential of collective brain power. In a way it seems too easy to posit gaming as a manipulative and immersive force (which it can be) and it’s users as socially dysfunctional and ‘geeky’ – the ugly, unglamous and physically frail – which makes me wonder if I would find this book a little too clichéd, however unique the writing.
The book does come down fairly firmly on the side of literature over gaming although I’d say it’s far from dismissive of the people who play – Collin is a bright and personable character. It is a world that interests me although, like you, I have reservations about the way technology is changing our world. I remember being fascinated by the late Tim Guest’s Second Lives which looked at the seductive nature of gaming. Published back in 2007 but still relevant, I imagine.
I’m not that interested in gaming but I really liked The Cookbook Collector – it was completely unexpected (I had been expecting something chick-lit but it was quite different), so will check this out. I really wish that I’d kept a list of all the cookbooks mentioned in Cookbook Collector as I’d read…
I loved that book and it did set the bar remarkably high which is why I felt a little disappointed with this one, I think.
Sounds interesting. I’m not a gamer and wouldn’t have felt drawn to this for that reason, but you’ve convinced me to be more open-minded!
It’s well worth reading although if you fancied trying a Goodman I’d recommend The Cook Book Collector over this one.