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A new family moves in next door to the narrator in Tireless:, and he takes an interest in them – almost obsessively. The family consists of: the mother, Olga, who spends much of her time sun bathing in the back yard; the well-traveled father, Jim, who is too willing to share his experiences no matter how outrageous; their son and daughter. Don’t let this simple description fool you, though. The book begins simply enough, but quickly develops into a complex and thought-provoking collection of stories as events unfold. Tireless: does not have a single, linear plot. Instead, the narrator alternates between his own experiences and those of Jim, later introducing Jim’s hallucination of Rat and Roquefort, which spirals into a story of its own.
My favorite aspect of the book is its originality, in both plot and writing style. By the end of the first page, Spaid’s confident and intelligent writing earns the reader’s trust, and allows him to easily break the normal rules of writing to create his own style. I was especially impressed by the voice of the narrator. Spaid did a great job of mimicking a person’s thoughts – an unfiltered constant stream that is sometimes interrupted by a completely different topic, but eventually returns to where it left off.
My only possible criticism would be that it was unclear to me what underlying message or feeling I was supposed to get out of the book – if there was one. Spaid has an impressive way of writing that leads me to feel that every person and event written into Tireless: - every word, even – was chosen with a very specific intent, to help communicate some underlying message. While this was very powerful, in the end I wasn’t able to pinpoint a specific message, which was frustrating, because I felt like I was missing or overlooking something.
Despite its obvious virtues, the book will not appeal to everyone. For those who seek an easy read with a clear, linear storyline, this is probably not the one to choose. However, for those who desire something completely different, something new and original that challenges the lines of reality, I definitely recommend this book. And, to fully appreciate the references, give Hamlet a quick read before picking it up.
Tireless: certainly deserves no less than 4 out of 4 stars, for its completely original storyline and Spaid’s respectable writing skill.
***
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