Only Revolutions
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| Written by: | Mark Z. Danielewski |
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| Synopsis: | |
| First published: | September 12, 2006 |
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"Yes, maybe it's time to move on. Spare some our hurt before the World retakes what we always elude when we run." |
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Go, get a blender.
Got one? Good.
Now, add in liberal amounts of poetry, a few freeform jazz riffs, plenty of wordplay, two hundred years of American history, more than a pinch of adolescence, a dash of teenage angst, some love, a spoonful of sex, a dollop of confusion, a can of rage, three teaspoons of yearning and a book's worth of sheer beauty.
Turn the blender on...
You have either created Only Revolutions or a jumble of abstract concepts in a blender.
Only Revolutions (2006) by Mark Z. Danielewski, of House of Leaves fame, follows two parallel narratives spun by sixteen year olds Sam and Hailey. Immortal, they go on a roadtrip across America spanning two hundred years filled with adventure, romance and heartbreaking moments. That is, if you can understand it.
- Arc Words: A few, including variants of "allways sixteen", "everyone loves the dream, but I kill it" and "boooooooomblastandruin".
- Chekhov's Gun: The pots of honey.
- Double Sided Book: A tricky palindrome of a novel, you can start it from either cover.
- Eyes of Gold: Hailey has this, with flecks of green. Sam has the opposite, green with flecks of gold.
- Immortal Immaturity: They are, after all, "allways sixteen".
- Mind Screw: As with all Mark Z. Danielewski works. However, this one is more complex in the way the prose is written and less the plot.
- Narrative Poem: Quasi-example. It reads similar to a poem, but it has no meter or joining characteristic, making it fit in the blurry area between a typical novel and a narrative poem.
- Painting the Fourth Wall: Haven't you noticed? The letter "o" and certain words are always typed in green or gold. Also, THE CREEP and all instances of the word creep are always in purple.
- Post Modernism: Definitely.
- Title Drop: Near the end of both sides of the book.
- Unconventional Formatting: It's a Mark Z. Danielewski novel, what did you expect?
- Unreliable Narrator: Both of them. The same story is woven, but Sam and Hailey's accounts differ, often showing themselves in a sympathetic light.
- Unstoppable Rage: Sam and Hailey both have this.