Sunday, December 31, 2000
I just finished reading a book called "The Last Samurai," by Helen DeWitt. Loosely, it is about a very educated, intelligent single mother with an obsession for "The Seven Samurai," and her even more intelligent son. That's the story in a nutshell. A poorly-fitting, cracking-at-the-seams nutshell. The book is a work of genius. It is brilliant. I can't articulate exactly why it is so brilliant, but rest assured that it is. It's also rather confusing. But still, brilliant. Read it. Just be aware that it'll be slow going. It's some 540 pages of less than crystal clear prose. But it's worth it. Read it.