by Catherynne M. Valente
Format: Trade paperback, 367 pages
Publisher: Bantam Spectra
Cover Design: Carlos Beltran
Release Date: Feburary 24, 2009ISBN-13: 978-0553385762
Between dreaming and waking, beyond the end of the world and
every space in between, lies the city of Palimpsest. There is only one way to get there. Those who achieve it are marked by a section
of the city’s map, tattooed onto their skin after a single orgasmic night. It is a city of wonder, of color, and most
importantly, of desires.
Four travelers find their way to this strange, fantastical
city: Oleg, a locksmith, November, a beekeeper; Ludovico, binder of rare books;
and the young woman Sei. They are all
looking for something, something they cannot find in the waking world, a
sister, a lover, a wife, and a sense of purpose. Will they find what they are looking for, or
instead will they find themselves consumed?
First off, I have to admit I had trouble writing this
review. Not because I didn’t like the
book, but because Valente often writes in layers and metaphors so
straightforward analysis is not easy.
With her books, I’ve found it’s best to simply enjoy it and let the
story carry you along.
Perhaps it might be best to first say what precisely a
palimpsest is. The Oxford dictionary
entry states that a palimpsest is “a writing material or manuscript on which
the original writing has been erased”.
Essentially, it is a manuscript made of parchment that has had its
original writing scraped off for the express purpose of being reused. You’ll discover as you read, that this
definition is one of the core ideas of the novel. The city does not exist in the same sense as
we mean it in the real world. It is
ephemeral, hiding like a ghost. It flees
like the mist before the sun or a lover in the night. Its construction depends on the desires of
those who desire it in turn.
The term palimpsest applies not only to the city, but also
to the characters as well. None of the
characters truly live in the real world.
They exist, but are not a part of it.
Sei skips work to ride the trains.
Ludo is so absorbed in binding books he almost never leaves his
house. Oleg has no sights for anything
other locks, keys, and his sister’s ghost.
November’s life is made up of only her bees and her brief encounters
with others. Their desires or inability
to find them are how they each end up in Palimpsest. For two of them it happens because they
actively seek it or stumble upon it. For
the other two, the search is almost thrust upon them as they lose something and
seek to regain it. They are defined by
their desires. They seek to be whole and reborn again.
Readers will quickly discover that desires and the actions
produced by them are central to the novel.
The people touched by the city almost without exception become obsessed
with getting there as often as possible.
The longing becomes so much a part of their waking world they’ll do
anything to get there and stay there.
The desire works both ways. There
are those inside the city that yearn for those who manage to cross.
Speaking of desires and yearnings, I wish I didn’t have
trouble connecting with the theme. I’m
hardly a prude, but I have always had difficulty comprehending why people will
do sometimes do everything and anything to achieve what they want. Maybe I’m too cut off from the world myself
or maybe the metaphors go over my head.
However, this is purely a personal reaction, and hopefully others will
get more out of it.
Something else that will depend on personal reactions will
be the level of sex in this book. It is
never gratuitous, but it can be graphic. The amount of sex is logical if you
consider that it is the most basic and most physical expression of desire. One additional thing to note: given how
important sex is to the characters and their transition to Palimpsest, it
struck me as odd that there was almost no mention of masturbation. There were one or two references to people
crossing alone, however, after that it is not brought up again. I’m not sure if Valente did that on purpose
or not.
One thing I’m sure many readers will enjoy will be Valente’s
prose. It is a highly detailed and
richly imagined prose that describes such wonders as metal bees, living trains,
and houses that grow like trees. The
author’s inventions often literally stretch the imagination.
