On Second Thought: A Book Re-Review of “More Than It Hurts You” by Darin Strauss

A few weeks ago, I wrote a review of the book More Than It Hurts You by Darin Strauss. My critique was kind of a mixed bag, and my final grade reflected that. But something rather surprising happened, and I’ve been re-reviewing my review of this book. You see, I simply cannot stop thinking about these characters, and I’ve come to feel my initial take on the story wasn’t as spot-on as it should have been.

More Than It Hurts You is a bold and ambitious novel that explores some serious, disturbing conditions of the human experience. Munchausen by Proxy Syndrome is just one of the issues it tackles with fearless grace. When you figure in the plethora of other hot-bed topics, like racism, antisemitism, class divisions, and the inadequacies of the criminal justice system, the stories of the three central characters in More Than It Hurts You can really burrow deep under the skin.

Trust me. I should know. They’ve been haunting me for nearly a month now.

The book does go in some unexpected directions, and I would’ve liked to know more about the “lynch-pin” character of Dori, but what has stuck with me with an unforeseen ardor is the originality and power of the story being told here. Darin Strauss, who I simply can’t say enough good things about, has a writing style that is luminous: a penetrating, witty, and altogether affecting voice in contemporary letters. The great gift of his storytelling is evident in the fact that I, the Book Snark, not one to eat crow easily, am compelled to go back and say, “Hey. I was wrong.”

One of the biggest elements of this book that I have carried strongest is its conclusion. I honestly did not know where it was headed, even just a few pages before the end. But the last line…oh my, the last line…has echoed in my snarkskull like no other in recent memory. Now, I am not giving you permission to go get this book just to skip ahead to the last line. If you do that, trust that the Book Snark will haunt your dreams and steal your underwear. You must read this book in its entirety to comprehend the power of the conclusion. With one line, one expertly-delivered blow, Strauss completely, utterly, and unexpectedly changed the entire course of More Than It Hurts You. It is a brave, beautiful move, and I’ve not been able to let it go. I am even going to confess that I’ve woken up in the middle of the night, wondering how Josh and Dori, and little baby Zach, are doing. I think this is less a tribute to my craziness (which is undeniable) and more a tribute to Mr. Strauss’s exceptional storytelling abilities (which are also undeniable).

Perhaps the reason I felt do distracted by the tangents the story sometimes follows is just further evidence of how moved I was by this book. When I read the adventures of Darlene’s father, or Josh and Dori’s lawyer, or Darlene’s doomed blind date, it was taking me away from the mesmerizing tale at the core of More Than It Hurts You. But I am realizing now just how pivotal some of these tangents are, at least insofar as they shed even more light on the three fascinating people fueling the main story.

My final, most important, piece of insight on More Than It Hurts You is this: READ IT. I am confident its force will move you in the same way it moved me: these three people inhabiting your thoughts with both their humanity and their mistakes. This is precisely what has made me rethink my original take on the book. We’re all human, we all make mistakes. I hope that, like me, Josh, Dori and Darlene, wherever they are, are able to own their actions - and the motivations behind them - with the same clarity.  New Grade: B+

 

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September 8, 2008 | Filed Under Eating Crow, General Fiction | 19 Comments 

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      WHAT IS A SNARK?




      The Snark is a creature created by Lewis Carroll in his poem "The Hunting of the Snark". To give a proper description of Snarks, one must look no further than Carroll himself, who summed them up in one word: Unimaginable.

      But this much we do know: some have feathers, some have whiskers. Snarks sleep a lot, yet they are an ambitious lot -- with very little sense of humor. They love bathing-machines and tend to bring them wherever they go; they are also handy for striking a light. Snarks live on a far-off island, a place filled with chasms and crags, and are constantly on the lookout for Snark-hunters. Their mortal enemies are hope, care, thimbles and forks.

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