海角大神

Helen Oyeyemi鈥檚 weird and wonderful new novel, 鈥淧eaces,鈥澛爑nwinds a story that illumines the ways that past experiences continue to impose upon the present, shaping what each of us accepts as reality.

The story begins with Otto and Xavier Shin as they embark upon an adventure aboard The Lucky Day, a luxurious sleeper train built as a tea-smuggling caravan for an earlier era. Curiously, it appears they are the only passengers on board. As they investigate the other carriages, they discover a mystifying art gallery, a kitchen curiously stocked with their favorite foods, a sauna 鈥� certainly not the usual trappings of a passenger train.聽

While exploring, Otto also catches a glimpse of a furtive woman, or at least he thinks he did. He believes she was holding a sign that read 鈥淗ello鈥� or maybe it said, 鈥淗elp.鈥� He鈥檚 really not sure. Perplexed, he also isn鈥檛 sure whether he should try and find her. Does she need help? Did he just imagine her?

And then there is the curious matter of their destination. Their tickets simply say, 鈥淭he Lakes and Mountains Route鈥� with no mention of towns or even which country they might be traveling through. The trip had been a gift to the couple from Otto鈥檚 aunt, a kind of non-honeymoon honeymoon, but they can鈥檛 call her to inquire 鈥� there is no cell service.

Instead, the two surrender to their circumstances and set off on an experience that takes them to places they never imagined.聽

They eventually meet their host, a woman named Ava Kapoor. It appears the train is her home, or more accurately, her refuge. They learn that she was once a music scholar who had dreamed of a career playing the theremin. While that life never materialized, her experiences playing the unusual instrument did lead her to her current life. She explains, 鈥淢ost of the time it鈥檚 as if my life is hiding from me, but as I play, note by note, I echolocate it.鈥澛�

It seems her focus right now is a pending will, one to which Ms. Kapoor is the sole beneficiary. First, though, she must prove herself to be of 鈥渨holly sound mind on her thirtieth birthday,鈥� a date that is fast approaching. And, to their surprise, Otto and Xavier discover they are among the people who have a role in determining her sanity.聽

It seems the determination of sanity and the resolution of the will hinges upon each person鈥檚 perceptions of people and of past events. The process exposes their own earlier experiences, some of them shared, ones they each thought they had left behind. The task begs the question of what determines whose version is legitimate? Who determines sanity or, even, reality? Baffled, Xavier asks, 鈥淪anity and consistency of perception are the same thing?鈥澛�

It is fair to say this book will not appeal to everyone. Some readers might be put off by the manner in which the story wanders through a string of seemingly nonsensical experiences that evoke many unanswered questions. Be aware, too, of the coarse language sprinkled throughout. In the hands of a less talented writer, it all might seem like a surreal soup of imaginings.聽

But Oyeyemi skillfully crafts a most creative story that evokes life鈥檚 deeper questions. She infuses the tale with references to music, photography, and painting, and with cultural touch points as seemingly random as the Bront毛聽Sisters, the Beach Boys, and Converse sneakers. Her fanciful descriptions include such details as a couch upholstered in 鈥渂rocade the colour of Darjeeling tea in the fourth minute of brewing.鈥澛�

In the midst of this delightful concoction, she examines the enduring power of experiences and the impressions that we make upon one another. Through the seemingly random adventures of Otto and Xavier, she illuminates how past experiences seldom remain in the past. They become part of who we are in the present and, to look upon the union of the two protagonists, part of what binds us to one another.聽聽

For those willing to let go and follow this story wherever it leads, floating through the parts that appear without explanation, stringing together details as they are revealed, the reward will be worth the adventure.聽