Only Revolutions by Mark Z. Danielewski is an experimental novel written in the form of two epic poems following the intertwined stories of Sam and Hailey, two ageless teenagers on a wild adventure through history. The book is structured so that from one direction you get Sam's poem and if you flip it over and start reading, you get Hailey's poem. The writing style is described as a mix between Finnegan's Wake and Ginsberg's Howl, with a stream of consciousness narrative that challenges readers with its experimental format and poetic complexity.
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Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings
Content warnings include explicit sexual content, violence, and possible triggers related to substance use and mental health themes.
Has Romance?
The book prominently features a romantic relationship between the two main characters, Sam and Hailey.
From The Publisher:
Sam:
They were with us before Romeo & Juliet. And long after too. Because they're forever around. Or so both claim, carolling gleefully:
We're allways sixteen.
Sam & Hailey, powered by an ever-rotating fleet of cars, from Model T to Lincoln Continental, career from the Civil War to the Cold War, barrelling down through the Appalachians, up the Mississippi River, across the Badlands, finally cutting a nation in half as they try to outrace History itself.
By turns beguiling and gripping, finally worldwrecking, Only Revolutions is unlike anything ever published before, a remarkable feat of heart and intellect, moving us with the journey of two kids, perpetually of summer, perpetually sixteen, who give up everything except each other.
Hailey:
They were with us before Tristan & Isolde. And long after too. Because they're forever around. Or so both claim, gleefully carolling:
We're allways sixteen.
Hailey & Sam, powered by an ever-rotating fleet of cars, from Shelby Mustang to Sumover Linx, careen from the Civil Rights Movement to the Iraq War, tearing down to New Orleans, up the Mississippi River, across Montana, finally cutting a nation in half as they try to outrace History itself.
By turns enticing and exhilarating, finally breathtaking, Only Revolutions is unlike anything ever conceived before, a remarkable feat of heart and intellect, moving us with the journey of two kids, perpetually of summer, perpetually sixteen, who give up everything except each other.
Ratings (3)
Loved It (1) | |
Did Not Like (1) | |
Hated It (1) |
Reader Stats (8):
Read It (3) | |
Want To Read (5) |
1 comment(s)
When I first heard about this book, I thought "uuuuugghhh that sounds so preTENtious" (I may have been a slightly pretentious graduate student myself at the time). And it kind of is. I get what Danielewski is doing, challenging our assumptions about how books work and how we interact with them, setting his work in a firm historical context in a new way. But it wasn't for me. This seems to be a love it or hate it kind of book - I think if I had the patience to read it the way the publisher "recommends," by reading 8 pages and then flipping it over to read the previously-upside-down text on the same eight pages, it would have been okay. But I don't have that patience, and I'm not utterly charmed by the highly thought out structure of the book. Also, there were a lot of poop jokes. Seemed unnecessary.
What can you read after
Only Revolutions?
About the Author:
MARK Z. DANIELEWSKI was born in New York City and lives in Los Angeles. He is the author of House of Leaves, The Whalestoe Letters, Only Revolutions, The Fifty Year Sword, and The Familiar.http://www.markzdanielewski.com/
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