Thinks… - A book review
March 11, 2008Posted by mmarvs in : Books
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By Rocío Álvarez
Have you ever desired to go deeper in other people’s mind? Especially to know the sensations your partner (husband/ wife/ girl-boyfriend/affair…) has about the things you do together? With David Lodge’s Thinks… you’ll find some examples of what goes on in a successful scientist and in a recently bereaved woman’s minds from the moment they meet.
Helen Reed is a novelist, who has moved to Gloucester where she has accepted a job as a teacher in the University of the city. She has moved there not only for the job, but also to escape from London, where she found many things that reminded her of her husband, and which made her weep for him. On the other side of the story we have Ralph Messenger, a successful scientist who is involved in the study of the consciousness, and who drives an institute that tries to solve the mysteries of it.
Both are, in a similar way, keeping a record of their experiences. Helen doesn’t feel strong enough to start a new novel, and in order not to lose her writing abilities she’s keeping a journal where she summarises, in all detail, absolutely every thing and sensation she lives day by day. Ralph, as a scientist dedicated to the consciousness, is carrying out some kind of study where he is supposed to record everything he thinks in a particular moment: word by word, and thought by thought. That’s how we know what they think of each other, and the chats they have.
They meet at a party, and from that moment on they start a complex relationship. It was he who started talking to her and trying to get closer, as what he really desires is having sex with her (sex outside marriage). At first, she suspecting that what he really wants is reticent but due to the many facts she finds out (including something related to her marriage), makes her change her mind and so they start an affair.
David Lodge mixes funny and informative dialogues with a little part of sex, which is described in an absolutely witty way. The book is written in a peculiar form I had never tried before. It is written in both first and third person, but it happens that sometimes the first belongs to Helen and others to Ralph as both are commenting on what has happened and how they have felt like during the days, and during their moments together.
At first it was a bit difficult for me to understand who was talking because of the mixture of narrators, however I must admit that I really enjoyed this book. Sometimes it makes you think about the reality of our minds, are we machines? Can we be substituted by them? And what about the chapters talking about sex?, I must admit that at first I was shocked in some way, I suppose it was because I had never read something like that, but as I said before it’s written in a witty and also funny way, what makes it “enjoyable”. I do strongly recommend you this book, especially for those, who as I said before would love to know what is going on in others’ minds.
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