How did I end up reading this book? Sometimes titles end up on my reading list, and by the time I get around to them I have no idea where they came from. This is one of those books – and after reading it I’m not sure if I got any benefit at all from it.
The basic idea is interesting, I guess. The book describes what happens when a bored psychiatrist resolves to leave all decisions to the roll of a die. He is hoping to break out of his routines and allow some other “minority voices” have a chance at directing his life.
It was thought-provoking, but it also seemed to be more than a little provoking in general. Written in 1971 there is a lot of content here that probably wouldn’t fly in a modern novel, and a lot of graphic sex – to the point of obsession.
Maybe because of the age of the book and the changes in society a lot of what I think were attempts at comedy didn’t really work for me. After a while it felt like most of the plot was just a way to end up in crazy sexual situations, and to titillate rather than provide any meaningful message.
Of course there is something going on in the undercurrents – commentary on religion, psychiatry, and moral responsibility. But buried as it was underneath the lurid stories and silly situations, I’m not sure it was worth exploring.
Next I am reading The Library at Mount Char by Scott Hawkins.
