Fuckraking

Never read anything by Russell Banks.  His latest, “Memories of Lost Skin” was well reviewed, so I decided to give it a try.  Mixed reaction.

In this book Banks seems intent on combining traditional storytelling with difficult social issues.  From my point of view, his take on the social issues is interesting but not fascinating.  The storytelling is adequate though certainly not innovative or stunning.

The story deals with the life of a relatively young convicted sex offender.  We learn about his crime.  We learn something about his background.  We learn about his current living situation.

Most would consider me pretty far out on the bleeding-heart liberal scale, but even I was a little skeptical.  Not about the main character’s story.  I concede that it is indeed plausible.  But I can’t help but suspect that the vast majority of convicted sex offenders are not young innocents caught in traps made possible by internet technology and savvy police work.  I’m the first to admit that this country is unreasonably hung up on a wide variety of sexual issues, and I’m all for approaches that consider the psychological state of the ‘offender’.  But really.  Can we really assume that a certain large group of homeless men are really just slightly confused individuals who were led astray by some minor life circumstances?  Really?  I think it’s probably more serious than that.  I am stronger in my condemnation of the offender’s actions and of society’s hypocrisy in dealing with the offense.

There are some insights about porn and masturbation addiction that I found enlightening.  And it’s always wise to try as hard as we can to view the situation from the other’s point of view.  Also intersting thoughts on the nature of belief and abolute truth.  Once we learn that absolutes exist only in the word of abstractions and never visit the real world, we're left with belief as the only way to make sense of the vast array of options before us.  It may be an artificial self-defined sense, but it's what we have.

I didn’t find the storytelling to be particularly compelling.  Nor was it  sub-par.  But surely no awards here from the vantage point of the words themselves.

I have to admit to being somewhat disappointed.  But kudos to Banks for tackling a difficult subject.  I suspect that the average reader of traditional novels will not be sufficiently liberal to appreciate Banks’s point of view; and I also suspect that the literary elite (you know who you are), though they may be more sympathetic to his message, may not be enthralled with the writing itself.  But that’s just me.

Maybe I’ll give Banks another try.  Any thoughts on another Banks book?