Review: Chabon's The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay.
Book #1 for 2014:The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay.
“Take care - there is no force more powerful than that of an unbridled imagination”
I first heard about this book on rainjoyswriting's post. Being a fan of her writing, I trusted her judgement when she said, ‘you'll laugh and cry and it'll change your life. Not even joking. One of my favourite novels of all time.’
Following her glowing recommendation, I got the book for Christmas and couldn’t put it down. It follows the story of two cousins, Josef Kavalier and Sammy Clay, who create a comic book about the Escapist, a lycra-clad superhero who fights for the freedom of ‘all those who toil in the bonds of slavery…[and] languish in tyranny’s chains’, most notably by picking fights with ‘Razis’. Their creation is a hit, leading to a radio series, film, action figures, lunchboxes, etc. Spanning a decade and a half, the novel starts in 1939, tracing the cousins’ progress through the war and where they end up after it.
Of course, the creators of the Escapist are themselves trapped; Joe by external forces and Sammy by internal ones. Joe is suffocated by his helplessness in the face of Hitler’s war machine. Sammy, on the other hand, is restricted by his own feelings of inferiority. Talkative and extrovert, Sammy can easily take command of a room filled with friends; however, when faced with people he deems ‘better’ than him - of higher class, status or education, he is shy and loses all confidence and faith in his abilities. Sammy is also trapped by the society in which they live. There are many aspects of the novel that are horrifying, from Joe’s harrowing escape from Prague to his brother’s fate to his stint in Antarctica, Joe’s life really is a series of amazing adventures. Sammy, on the other hand, is a better representation of the story of the everyday man as he experiences marriage, fatherhood and his prideful ownership of a piece of suburbia. However, perhaps it is because of this supposedly more ‘normal’ existence that one incident in the novel stands out - a party that Sammy attends is raided by police, one of whom seeks out Sammy after most of the party have been arrested and forces him to perform oral sex. Where the problems Joe faces are somewhat extraordinary, Sammy has to overcome the more realistic and mundane issues, and it is the forced resignation with which Sammy has to accept what is happening to him that is quietly chilling.
There are parts of the book that do feel a little farfetched - in particular, Joe being one of the two survivors in the camp on Antarctica does stray from the otherwise very realistic grounding to the novel. Saying that, the novel is peppered with nods to its contemporary setting, such as Auden’s letters to Isherwood; these delightful comments are one of the things that solidifies Chabon’s writing as excellent and brings the era to life. The only criticism I could give is that there are a few incidents that are brushed by perhaps too briefly. The problem of male rape could be expanded on, with Sammy seemingly not suffering from any long-term effects. However, this could be explained by the form of the narrative itself. The book follows Joe’s journey closely, so there are gaps in the story where Sammy is close to absent, none more so than in the ‘Radioman’ section, when we learn of Sammy’s marriage to Rosa, the death of the two most important people in his life (Bacon and his mother, Ethel), and his settlement into a job he doesn’t enjoy. The milestones of life are reduced to a few letters, highlighting the insignificance of the goals that most of us strive to achieve.
The climax of Sammy’s story is wonderfully clever. Chabon’s interweaving of real life incidents, such as Wertham’s publication of The Seduction of the Innocent into the lives of his characters is skilfully mastered, and the idea that Sammy is behind the now common conception of superheroes and their sidekicks being a closer than just a homosocial bond is delightful. I, for one, will never be able to enjoy a Superhero story without thinking of Sammy again.
The novel is still relevant today, not just in the way that anything with a universal theme will always be relevant, but particularly as I’m writing this and Superheroes are still in the throes of enjoying a comeback, what with all of the Thor/Iron Man/Avengers/SpiderMan etc films that have been produced in recent years. Rainjoys described the novel as ‘the beginnings of the toolkit you need to understand the superhero metaphor’, and she’s not wrong. One of my favourite things about the novel is that it highlights how important art is. I am a strong believer in the power of art and so will always be inclined to favour books that indulge in this theme, but by Joe’s insistent destruction of the Nazi’s in the pages of his books, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay highlights the role of literature and other art forms in escapism. Most of the characters are artists or entertainers, and at a time in history that was so bleak, it was more important than ever. But at the same time, the novel does undermine the power of art as the pair’s success doesn’t help Joe to do what he set out to achieve. His attempts to help his family prove to be futile, though he is able to at least secure passage for several Jewish children to escape from Prague. Sammy’s creations also land him in the courtroom.
The novel failed to make me cry (which is unusual for me), but the most poignant part of the novel is Sammy’s fear of his own feelings. His relationship with Bacon is one of the best crafted relationships I have come across in literature - in just a few scenes, Chabon takes the boys from awkward, fumbling exploration to comfortable and playful in their love in a way that is beautiful to read. It takes Sammy a long time to come to terms with his sexuality, and it is his own self-denial and fear of the ruin that would follow the truth coming out that is one of the most heart-breaking themes: ‘He had no idea of how long his life would one day seem to have gone on; how daily present the absence of love would come to feel’. Leaving Bacon for the security of his career, the acceptance of his family and his place in society as a whole is one that echoes in the lives of many men even today. He forces himself into a self-sacrifice that sickens even Joe, after all the horrors he has seen.
Identity is a major theme in the novel. There is a lot to comment on regarding Jewish identity but I shan’t do it here; that’s an essay in itself that has probably already been done in depth by someone else. References to the Golem abound, for instance Sammy’s full surname being Klayman; perhaps being named after an ‘unfinished’ person is the root of Sammy’s insecurities and his own stunted growth.
The novel reads like a love-letter to comic books. Not being a fan of comics myself and being completely ignorant to its beginnings and key figures, I did sometimes feel a little lost amongst the name drops and descriptions of the genre. Chabon’s own love for the form shines through and is a real joy to read, with cameos from the likes of Stan Lee adding a cheeky bit of fun. The novel is 639 pages long, yet there isn’t a single superfluous sentence. Chabon packs his pages with magic, tricks, escapism, legend, adventure, exploration, love and loss. He flows from romance to action to thriller, at times punctuating the story with scenes from Sammy and Joe’s comic books that are refreshing to read and convey the excitement of superhero stories. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay is an excellent read, and thoroughly recommended.
“Take care - there is no force more powerful than that of an unbridled imagination”
I first heard about this book on rainjoyswriting's post. Being a fan of her writing, I trusted her judgement when she said, ‘you'll laugh and cry and it'll change your life. Not even joking. One of my favourite novels of all time.’
Following her glowing recommendation, I got the book for Christmas and couldn’t put it down. It follows the story of two cousins, Josef Kavalier and Sammy Clay, who create a comic book about the Escapist, a lycra-clad superhero who fights for the freedom of ‘all those who toil in the bonds of slavery…[and] languish in tyranny’s chains’, most notably by picking fights with ‘Razis’. Their creation is a hit, leading to a radio series, film, action figures, lunchboxes, etc. Spanning a decade and a half, the novel starts in 1939, tracing the cousins’ progress through the war and where they end up after it.
Of course, the creators of the Escapist are themselves trapped; Joe by external forces and Sammy by internal ones. Joe is suffocated by his helplessness in the face of Hitler’s war machine. Sammy, on the other hand, is restricted by his own feelings of inferiority. Talkative and extrovert, Sammy can easily take command of a room filled with friends; however, when faced with people he deems ‘better’ than him - of higher class, status or education, he is shy and loses all confidence and faith in his abilities. Sammy is also trapped by the society in which they live. There are many aspects of the novel that are horrifying, from Joe’s harrowing escape from Prague to his brother’s fate to his stint in Antarctica, Joe’s life really is a series of amazing adventures. Sammy, on the other hand, is a better representation of the story of the everyday man as he experiences marriage, fatherhood and his prideful ownership of a piece of suburbia. However, perhaps it is because of this supposedly more ‘normal’ existence that one incident in the novel stands out - a party that Sammy attends is raided by police, one of whom seeks out Sammy after most of the party have been arrested and forces him to perform oral sex. Where the problems Joe faces are somewhat extraordinary, Sammy has to overcome the more realistic and mundane issues, and it is the forced resignation with which Sammy has to accept what is happening to him that is quietly chilling.
There are parts of the book that do feel a little farfetched - in particular, Joe being one of the two survivors in the camp on Antarctica does stray from the otherwise very realistic grounding to the novel. Saying that, the novel is peppered with nods to its contemporary setting, such as Auden’s letters to Isherwood; these delightful comments are one of the things that solidifies Chabon’s writing as excellent and brings the era to life. The only criticism I could give is that there are a few incidents that are brushed by perhaps too briefly. The problem of male rape could be expanded on, with Sammy seemingly not suffering from any long-term effects. However, this could be explained by the form of the narrative itself. The book follows Joe’s journey closely, so there are gaps in the story where Sammy is close to absent, none more so than in the ‘Radioman’ section, when we learn of Sammy’s marriage to Rosa, the death of the two most important people in his life (Bacon and his mother, Ethel), and his settlement into a job he doesn’t enjoy. The milestones of life are reduced to a few letters, highlighting the insignificance of the goals that most of us strive to achieve.
The climax of Sammy’s story is wonderfully clever. Chabon’s interweaving of real life incidents, such as Wertham’s publication of The Seduction of the Innocent into the lives of his characters is skilfully mastered, and the idea that Sammy is behind the now common conception of superheroes and their sidekicks being a closer than just a homosocial bond is delightful. I, for one, will never be able to enjoy a Superhero story without thinking of Sammy again.
The novel is still relevant today, not just in the way that anything with a universal theme will always be relevant, but particularly as I’m writing this and Superheroes are still in the throes of enjoying a comeback, what with all of the Thor/Iron Man/Avengers/SpiderMan etc films that have been produced in recent years. Rainjoys described the novel as ‘the beginnings of the toolkit you need to understand the superhero metaphor’, and she’s not wrong. One of my favourite things about the novel is that it highlights how important art is. I am a strong believer in the power of art and so will always be inclined to favour books that indulge in this theme, but by Joe’s insistent destruction of the Nazi’s in the pages of his books, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay highlights the role of literature and other art forms in escapism. Most of the characters are artists or entertainers, and at a time in history that was so bleak, it was more important than ever. But at the same time, the novel does undermine the power of art as the pair’s success doesn’t help Joe to do what he set out to achieve. His attempts to help his family prove to be futile, though he is able to at least secure passage for several Jewish children to escape from Prague. Sammy’s creations also land him in the courtroom.
The novel failed to make me cry (which is unusual for me), but the most poignant part of the novel is Sammy’s fear of his own feelings. His relationship with Bacon is one of the best crafted relationships I have come across in literature - in just a few scenes, Chabon takes the boys from awkward, fumbling exploration to comfortable and playful in their love in a way that is beautiful to read. It takes Sammy a long time to come to terms with his sexuality, and it is his own self-denial and fear of the ruin that would follow the truth coming out that is one of the most heart-breaking themes: ‘He had no idea of how long his life would one day seem to have gone on; how daily present the absence of love would come to feel’. Leaving Bacon for the security of his career, the acceptance of his family and his place in society as a whole is one that echoes in the lives of many men even today. He forces himself into a self-sacrifice that sickens even Joe, after all the horrors he has seen.
Identity is a major theme in the novel. There is a lot to comment on regarding Jewish identity but I shan’t do it here; that’s an essay in itself that has probably already been done in depth by someone else. References to the Golem abound, for instance Sammy’s full surname being Klayman; perhaps being named after an ‘unfinished’ person is the root of Sammy’s insecurities and his own stunted growth.
The novel reads like a love-letter to comic books. Not being a fan of comics myself and being completely ignorant to its beginnings and key figures, I did sometimes feel a little lost amongst the name drops and descriptions of the genre. Chabon’s own love for the form shines through and is a real joy to read, with cameos from the likes of Stan Lee adding a cheeky bit of fun. The novel is 639 pages long, yet there isn’t a single superfluous sentence. Chabon packs his pages with magic, tricks, escapism, legend, adventure, exploration, love and loss. He flows from romance to action to thriller, at times punctuating the story with scenes from Sammy and Joe’s comic books that are refreshing to read and convey the excitement of superhero stories. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay is an excellent read, and thoroughly recommended.