Senseless by Stona Fitch is a literary thriller that is going to be a huge hit for Two Ravens Press. The novel was originally released in the U.S just days after the September 11th terrorist attacks. The main character is Eliott Gast, an American economist taken hostage by a terrorist group. He spends forty days being questioned and tortured by his captors, and footage of Eliott’s ordeal is broadcast live on the internet. I have read a few of the American Amazon reviews for Senseless, and I am intrigued but terrified.
The cover quotes are impressive:
‘Startling in conception and disturbing in what it says about our times.’ JM Coetzee.
‘A chilling psychological thriller and a brilliant political fable for our time … should be situated on the literary map between DeLillo and Coetzee.’ Russell Banks.
The novel has apparently been made into a film, so I’ll be looking out for Senseless – The Movie, but at least with the film I’ll have the option of hiding behind cushions – not really appropriate when reading a book.
After much to-ing and fro-ing (after all, people have said they’ve been mentally scarred by scenes in this novel) I have made a decision. The older I get, the fewer risks I seem to be taking. Gone are the days when I would stay out clubbing until 5a.m and then be up for work at 7, gone are the days when I would listen to music on my Walkman almost every minute of the day and not care about my blasted eardrums, and gone are the days when I would regularly read disturbing fiction. My tastes are becoming far too cosy for my liking, so I am going to do something reckless: tonight I am going to stay awake, bottle of rum at my side, and I am going to read Senseless from cover to cover. Wish me luck. I will come back and report next week.
Talking of torture, I’m off to take the OH to the emergency dentist now as he is in tooth agony. I can’t help wondering if the torture in Senseless is going to include tooth removal. . .
Lisa Glass blogs as part of the Vulpes Libris (Book Fox) collective. Her novel, Prince Rupert’s Teardrop, is out in paperback now.
