Muriel Spark
Above all, what really makes us human is the fact that we must eventually die, despite what current science wants us to think, and it is this inescapable fact that Muriel Spark investigates in Memento Mori. Spark takes us into midcentury London and the world of the rapidly declining; the elderly are an often unseen piece of society and it's interesting to have a novel full of them, particularly as they approach their own deaths with candor and a lack of grace usually reserved for the young. Spark reminds us throughout that the older among us are still inherently human, and though it's quite funny that a woman in her seventies takes to blackmailing her acquaintances, there is a hint of the tragic that isn't fully explored in this lighthearted tale. Its characters are rich and compelling, almost universally over the age of seventy and vibrant while tackling the challenges of older, slowly betraying bodies. Spark's novel lacks a bit of coherent plotting or any real sense of movement, but it certainly does not lack for charm. The novel turns on a mysterious crop of phone calls reminding the characters that they must die, but instead of really probing their reactions the novel has the characters resume their daily lives, perhaps overreacting at times but behaving normally. Perhaps this is the point- that at a certain age even the disturbing reminder of death can only phase so much. Nothing much happens at a leisurely pace, but the novel is enjoyable enough due to its hilarious and well-portrayed cast. Though Memento Mori centers on and contains plenty of death, it teems with a lively spirit and is a refreshing look at an often ignored facet of society.
Grade: B+
Grade: B+
No comments:
Post a Comment