I read about 30 pages tonight and I'm immediately gripped by the writing. A lot of people have said it takes a lot of "work" but I find the writing extremely easy and almost familiar. Reminds me of Hemingway in the sense that he doesn't waste words. There's nothing that drives me out of a novel more than seemingly extemporaneous writing. This seems crafted, but in a way where I don't see the hand of the craftsman -if that makes sense? Give it a whirl, I'm really digging it. I feel like I'm there.
I had trouble in the beginning dealing with his lack of quotation marks and odd punctuation. It makes the reading flow in a different way, which I don't mind now that I feel comfortable with it, but I found the dialogue hard to follow in parts, especially conversations between more than two people, of which there are a few.
I agree, the lack of quotation marks took a little bit to get used to but it didn't take long. I don't want to yet refer to specific parts but there were definitely moments where I had to reread to get an idea of who was talking. The scenes and the dialog are so "of an era" that I feel very emersed. First time in a while that I can't wait to get home to read again.
Yeah, same. The way that the dialogue occurs and how the characters are sometimes introduced reminds me of walking into a room and sitting down, just doing my own thing and then looking up to realize there is someone else in the room and has been since before I entered.
If you finish the Signal and the Noise, check out Blood Meridian we're about to read it for the book club. You ever read any Cormac McCarthy? This is my first.