Book Review for "The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay" by Michael Chabon

A humorous historical fiction set during the Golden Age of comics. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize in 2001.

By Sunny CPublished 2 years ago • 3 min read

"The true magic of this broken world lay in the ability of the things it contained to vanish, to become thoroughly lost, that they might never have existed in the first place." ~Michael Chabon, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay.

This book is not within the genre that I would usually choose to pick off of a bookshelf. So, when I finished reading it, I found myself thoroughly surprised.

The first thing that I noticed about this book is the detailed descriptions. Chabon does a great job of explaining each character and setting in detail, not just physically, but even mentally. He explains what they look like and how they think, adding to the story-building of the novel.

As far as pacing goes, I would say it was decent. At the beginning of the novel, I was very interested. It included Joe's backstory and traveling to America. The middle of the book got a little slow, in my opinion. They were starting to create their comics and it just seemed to blur in my mind as I read it. However, I really enjoyed the ending. It showed how the characters had grown and changed, especially due to the war. The characters developed throughout the whole novel and continued transforming up until the last page.

This book included many different motifs. The most prominent being mentions of escaping and moths. The escapism motif seemed to symbolize an escape from their reality and the tragedy of it all. Their comic books were created in an attempt to make them money and financial freedom. Not only did they hope to make money, but they enjoyed creating them. The moth motif could be interpreted in many different ways. Moths were mentioned throughout the book on several occasions. I thought of it along the lines of transformation. Like I said before, the characters changed as the story continued, as everyone does in real life as well. However, from previous knowledge, I know that moths do not live a long time. Perhaps this speaks something about the impermanence of life.

"Forget about what you are escaping from. Reserve your anxiety for what you are escaping to." ~Michael Chabon, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay.

There are many different places within the novel that Chabon incorporates humor. I especially loved the conversations between Sam and his mother. They didn't spend a lot of time together in the book, but when they did, it was always fun to read about. Not only did the book include humor, but also heartbreak. There is no doubt that this book will make you feel something. Whether you are laughing softly, or on the verge of tears, you will experience emotion.

Overall, this was a wonderful book. It painted vivid pictures in my mind as I read along. I found that at the ending, I felt truly connected to the characters. I felt their emotions within myself. I could sense their victories, sorrows, triumphs, and failures. Although I've never experienced anything quite so similar to what the characters did, it gave me a new perspective on many aspects of life. I would definitely read it again. I have a good feeling that I will only discover more hidden secrets and themes the more that I reread this book. It is just that kind of novel that will only keep giving you more.