Posted by Sterling Taylor on 28/6/2009, 21:43:40, in reply to "Re: The Sea"
98.71.92.155
Steven, I think you're spot-on concerning the genre/literary distinction. This is why Banville's "little surprise" works so well. Literary fiction readers do not really expect surprises or "twists." If this had been an Agatha Christie novel or some such, I probably would have been scanning for clues and would not have been so blind-sided. I didn't see it coming either.
I'm still working out the physical size motif, but I wonder if it's not connected to his idea that the "gods" have departed in the opening sentence of the novel. Mr. Grace is not physically large, but he is connected to Pan or a satyr or both. Ordinary folk, such as the Colonel, are not "gods." Interestingly, perhaps Max himself qualifies as a "god," although I don't think he'd agree.
I should probably take a page from joffre's book and re-read this one.
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