He thought, Ridochin for the lanternjawed. I don't think I would have appreciated the subtle humor in this one if I hadn't read some of his other work or seen interviews with the author. Sure.
Whitehead doesn't seem to be getting the respect he deserves. What's unfortunate, however, is that all this technical artistry is in the service of unremarkable themes and ideas.
Prose is excellent as always.
History wrapped up in the naming if a town. Apex Hides the Hurt Themes & Motifs. [17], PEN Oakland/Josephine Miles Literary Award, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Apex_Hides_the_Hurt&oldid=964660174, Articles with dead external links from September 2010, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 26 June 2020, at 20:24. He named the bandage branded Apex, that is multicultural and will match your skin color or your money back. "[13] The Library Journal praised the book, noting, "in spare and evocative prose, Whitehead does Shakespeare one better: What's in a name, and how does our identity relate to our own sense of who we are?
"[13] The New York Observer was critical of the book but noted, "readers not looking for direct emotional access to the characters may find it gratifying to solve the intellectual puzzle set here by Colson Whitehead. I really wanted to like this book more. Don't have much to say about it. "[16] Michael McGirr of The Sydney Morning Herald called it "a book of abundant irony".
Just a moment while we sign you in to your Goodreads account. "[15] Entertainment website The A.V. Apex Hides the Hurt is a 2006 novel by American author Colson Whitehead. We’d love your help. Its only 211 pages and an easy read. Turns out the apex can be the nadir. When the novel begins, he's had a … One day, a town called Winthrop asks him to think of a new name for the town. But Whitehead just didn't go far enough or do enough with it, and it all sort of fell flat and left me feeling very unsatisfied. Start by marking “Apex Hides the Hurt” as Want to Read: Error rating book. Very brisk satire. This is more a novella than a novel, and that's fine--any longer and it would have outstayed its welcome. It venerates the Winthrop family and focuses very little on the original African-American settlers. The article made Whitehead question how a similar process is used to assert a certain control over one's environment (his example is a boulevard named after a particular person), and yoking the two concepts was the beginning of the ideas that led to his composition of the novel. Ok. We're going to play with words, meanings, names, language, etc. [3] The protagonist of the book is an unnamed African-American "nomenclature consultant" who has had recent success in branding and selling Apex bandages, which come in multiple colors to better match a broad array of skin tones. That hasn't been done before. Had this been the first book of Colson Whitehead’s that I had read, I may not have decided to read him again, but alas, this is not the first book of his that I had the pleasure of reading, with the first being Underground Railroad, which was amazing!
At first, I couldn't decide whether to give this book 3 or 4 stars. The overall thematic thrust of the novel places much emphasis on the importance of truth in history, for as the protagonist discovers, history can often be altered or obscured based on the whims of a few influential people. In an interview with Alma Books, Whitehead states that the concept of the book originated from an article about the naming process for new pharmaceuticals such as Prozac. After repeatedly stubbing his toe and covering it up with Apex bandages, the consultant accidentally stepped into pig feces during a company team retreat. But as I continued with, I once had a job very similar to that of "nomenclature consultant," so it's possible that most of my enjoyment comes from the well-deserved skewering of meetings that bear eerie resemblance to many I've sat through. Let the voice of the narrator guide you through the plot.
Club complimented the book, writing, "perhaps taking his cues from his protagonist's profession, Whitehead keeps his prose as streamlined as it comes, and he uses it to craft a satiric novel in tune with a moment where marketing overshadows content and even the lowliest blogger thinks in branding terms. The story centers around the consultant, a man who has had career successes that had its zenith with Apex, a low-quality version of Bandaids, and now is hired to name or rename a town. But I want to read everything he's written, because he challenges me.
The night after I finished this book, I dreamed: shuttlebus, shuttlebus, shuttlebus. The African Americans escaping slavery who first settled it named it Freedom. I liked it, it was good, but it just felt somewhat. The novel has received mostly positive reviews from critics, with few negative comments. [10] In a review in The Boston Globe, Saul Austerlitz called it a "wickedly funny new novel".
Especially when he is in a more comical tone, like in AHtH. Whitehead writes well, but shows signs of being a serious one-trick pony. After much deliberation, the consultant decides on the name "Struggle", the original idea of the other of the two original founders, Field. Combining humorous takes on contemporary American 'khaki' culture, odd characters of great familiarity, and the historic consequence of happenstance.
i would have thought that names would have been enough for me and he does pursue some really interesting lines of thought but when all is said and done i would wish for more meat and less cucumber sandwich. Our nameless hero drinks and muses and also has a very funny duel of sorts with the hotel's cleaning woman over the state of his room. I can honestly say this is the first book i have read it a nomenclature consultant as the main character. This is such a fascinating premise, about a guy who is a professional namer of things, from medecine to cosmetics to towns. Very smart, very funny. This is my third Whitehead book, and I like him more and more. Apex Hides the Hurt is a novel by Colson Whitehead. On to the next Colson Whitehead book! I found the prose very flat, and the way the plot progressed—interspersed with flashbacks exploring the reasons behind the protagonist’s meltdown—offered no surprises. Not rich enough to support three books, that's for sure. . How rich is the "outsider from out of town" story lode anyway? Apex Hides the Hurt is my fourth novel by the author and I am glad it wasn't my first. It's breezy fun that sticks in your teeth. Colson Whitehead is so damn smart. A nomenclature consultant, he conjures up winning brand names such as Apex, the popular bandage that “hides the hurt.” The top man at his Manhattan firm, he is legendary for his skills. This book didn’t really work for me. Then a family named Winthrop put a barb wire factory there and renamed the town after themselves. Print Word PDF.
Whitehead's brilliant, semantic insights m. I really wanted to like this book more. "[8] American trade news magazine Publishers Weekly reacted negatively to the book, writing, "Whitehead disappoints in this intriguingly conceived but static tale of a small town with an identity crisis. But I want to read everything he's written, because he challenges me. everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of Apex Hides the Hurt. This book didn’t really work for me. It was definitely thought-provoking, and I’m curious to mull it over. "[1] The book was included among The New York Times 100 Most Notable Books of the Year for 2006.[2].
Whitehead has proven himself to be a remarkable author.
a very clever book from a really sharp writer that i realized too late was a satire. A bit reminiscent of Pynchon, but far less annoying. The article made Whitehead question how a similar process is used to assert a certain control over one's environment (his example is a boulevard named after a particular person), and yoking the two concepts was the beginning of the ideas that led to his composition of the novel. But I think there's a lot to enjoy here even for those who have thankfully been spared the world of corporate image sculpting: sharp prose (with an ear for repetition that works particularly well in audio), musings on the nature of identity, and a good balance between satire and story. A story about a nomenclature consultant? A nameless nomenclature consultant who’s had a bit of a nervous breakdown is hired by a small town to lend his expertise to the renaming of their community. . He is asked to visit the town of Winthrop, which is considering changing its name. There's something great about a paperback book: They're perfect book club choices, you can throw them in your bag and go, and they've been out in... To see what your friends thought of this book. This section contains 2,486 words (approx. The consultant is well-known, well- paid and won an award for his naming ability. Maybe too smart for me sometimes. A nameless "nomenclature consultant" with a limp who's had a bit of a mental breakdown is hired to help rebrand the ton of Winthrop. During his visit, the main character is introduced to several citizens attempting to persuade him in favor of their preferred name for the town. Whitehead's brilliant, semantic insights made me smile often and compensated a great deal for the lack of a cohesive, satisfying narrative. But I think there's a lot to enjoy here even for those who have thankfully been spared the world of corporate image sculpting: sharp prose (with an ear for repetition that works particularly well in audio), musings on the nature of identity, and a good balance between satire and stor. The novel follows an unnamed nomenclature consultant who specializes in creating memorable names for new consumer products. [12] The San Francisco Chronicle gave the novel a mixed review, commenting, "It's pure joy to read writing like this, but watching Whitehead sketch out a minor character's essence with one stroke, while breathtaking, makes one wish the same treatment was afforded the people who ostensibly inhabit the novel's complex ideas. I think Colson Whitehead took a crack at the genre of corporate satire and really gave it depth by adding the socio historical elements of where names come from. But, alas, it was the second book in a row that I read that had an unnamed, black, male author and I found the lack of committment to a character and the need to embrace the "everyman" trite and annoying. [9], Overall, the novel was critically well received. Whitehead writes with wit and satire but also poignancy in the exploration of the importance of names and symbols in relation to the history of African Americans. At under six hours, it seems ideal for a long day's drive or a week's commute. It made much more sense in this novel, due to the fact that the narrator is a nomenclature consultant by trade, but the inability to really connect with him made the prose feel plastic and hard to empathize with. “Isn't it great when you're a kid and the world is full of anonymous things? It might be a while before I get to Whitehead's latest, but this one is first-rate, American, idea-rich fiction. He was concentrating on what … "[13] Kirkus Reviews praised the book, writing, "while making no attempt at depth of characterization, Whitehead audaciously blurs the line between social realism and fabulist satire.
It treats consumer culture with the disrespect it deserves, but is not tiresome or hectoring. I'm not so big on satire -- I find it cold -- but I enjoyed this very much.
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