Skip to main content

Night Obscured by Hum-Drum Day

24. The School of Night by Louis Bayard

I've been talking for almost a year about how much I wanted to read this book. But the real truth is-I wanted to read half of this book.

As soon as I heard Bayard mention the words, "school of night," "sixteenth century," and "Thomas Harriot," I was in. Even though, "mystery," "thriller," and "present-day Washington D.C.," were not at all what I wanted to read.

Bayard writes two narratives here, in two very different stylistic voices. I won't pretend that I don't have a clear preference.

One is the story of present day scholar Henry Cavendish, a screw-up ne'er-do-well, recently named executor of his best friend's estate. Best friend and fellow scholar Alonso threw himself into the Potomac. At the funeral, Henry is approached by a skullduggery type named Bernard, who wants the valuable sixteenth century manuscript that Alonso "borrowed" before his death. What is this manuscript, what does it mean, and should Henry give it to Bernard for copious amounts of moolah?

The other story is that of Thomas Harriot, enigmatic sixteenth century naturalist and scientist, and Bayard posits, alchemist and atheist. Bayard takes on the story of Harriot's later years, secluded on the Earl of Northumerland's estate, as he recollects earlier encounters with Marlowe and Raleigh. A fictional character, Margaret, a maid in Harriot's household who becomes his partner in science and ultimately lover, brings a fresh perspective to the scene, that of ordinary Rennaissance women, who maybe longed for something more. The voice in this part of the story is unique, undulating, experimental. It fits the mysterious nature of Harriot and Margaret's experiments and their strange attraction to one another. The odd and unbelievable events that bind together this pair make sense in the context of this voice and are more credible from the distance of four centuries.

The odd and unbelievable events that come to bind Henry Cavendish and his erstwhile paramour Clarissa, however, I found less believable. The narrative, told from Henry's point of view, is nothing special and the events predictably melodramatic. It feels like Bayard brings in every aspect of every thriller ever, and inadvertently manages to make it comically anticlimactic. I was surprised at none of the twists or turns, save the last, which was merely absurd. The only thematic relevance was a parallel with the other story, which I obviously found infinitely more engrossing.

I realize Bayard is a thriller writer, though I haven't read any of his other books. I wish he would throw aside the genre and write the sweeping historical novel of ideas that I suspect he is capable of. Some of the Harriot sequences were excitingly similar to Wolf Hall, and a man with that kind of talent shouldn't waste himself on today's "realistic genre*" fiction.

*When I say, "realistic genre," I am talking about Litlove's definition of genre as books that do not challenge one's comfort zone. The present-day sections of this novel follow current writing-class conventions; first person narrator, short sentences, small words, plot twists that come fast and often, constant action. That will hold interest and is a good plan to stick to for general reader satisfaction-but I think Bayard can defy convention and still be successful.

Comments

Claudia said…
Not only that I'm geeking out over Harriot being a character in a novel now, but the link to Litlove provided some food for thought. I was not very clear on the genre/literary fiction distinction before. So thank you for this post!

Popular posts from this blog

Books with Single-Word Titles

Happy Top Ten Tuesday over at That Artsy Reader Girl! Books with Single-Word Titles These are all my favorite books that I could think of with one-word titles. A lot of fantasy, a few nonfiction (minus subtitles) and Kindred , whether you consider it scifi or historical fiction. Also two portmanteaus using the word "bitter." I suppose it's a word that lends itself to amelioration. 1. Sweetbitter by Stephanie Danler 2. Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore 3. Fire by Kristin Cashore 4. Heartless by Marissa Meyer 5. Inheritance by Christopher Paolini 6. Meditations by Marcus Aurelius 7. Stoned by Aja Raden (has a subtitle) 8. Educated by Tara Westover 9. Fledgling by Octavia Butler 10. Kindred by Octavia Butler

Feliz Ano Nuevo!

Speaking of cultures and society, I leave for Spain on January 9. Instead of continuing as a book blog with a specific goal for number of books to read in a year, Space Station Mir will become a chronicle for my adventures in Spain. Expect a post for each new place that I visit, with pictures! I also plan to continue reviewing books, however I will not make a set goal for number of books to read this year. I do pledge myself to read at least one book in Spanish that was not assigned for a class. In terms of my goals for 2009, I was not diligent enough in keeping track of them. Looking back, I've fulfilled some of them and not others. The greatest trend in my reading this year, which marks a huge deviation for me, is that I've read more non-fiction than I think I've read any other year in my life. I've finally developed the ability to sustain interest in non-fiction other than biographies. For a while, biographies were the only non-fiction I ever read, with the exception

Most Recent Books I Did Not Finish

 I feel like I've been DNFing a fair amount lately, mostly with review books. I feel obligated to read review books longer than I would if they were books I just picked up on my own. That said, I have a caveat in my Book Review Policy  that if I feel I am not the right audience for the book, I won't post a review. I try to avoid that by only picking books I genuinely think I will enjoy, but of course I can't always predict that before I read. Also, while book clubs have been a great way to get exposed to books I wouldn't normally read, tastes will differ and every once in a while, I find a book I'm just not willing to finish. I also want to say no shade to the authors or anyone who enjoyed these books--they just weren't for me. Happy Top Ten Tuesday! Most Recent Books I Did Not Finish 1. Caribbean Competitors by Poppy Minnix--LibraryThing review--This one sounded great and has a beautiful cover, but while the island setting was compelling, I just couldn't ge