Comments on: The Lazarus Project by Aleksandar Hemon http://calitreview.com/2539 Book reviews, essays, and author interviews. Sat, 20 Mar 2010 06:21:06 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: David Goldstein http://calitreview.com/2539/comment-page-1#comment-42193 David Goldstein Sat, 14 Feb 2009 04:48:53 +0000 http://calitreview.com/?p=2539#comment-42193 The Lazarus Project is about the precariousness of the human condition, where selfishness, maliciousness, capriciousness, randomness and other -ess's can and often do have devastating life-changing effects. Brik, the main character, attempts to counterbalance the effect of things beyond one's control with belief, faith, and soul. But he can't internalize the hype. His wife represents the stolidness of the American Dream realized (sic) something to which he cannot reconcile himself, even resisting the good fortune that comes his way. Rora is his doppelganger, unconcerned with why bad things happen to good people, and determined to stay in the moment. His photographs, which evoke deep emotions in Brik, mean nothing more to Rora than that it was the right picture to take. He tells horrific stories that illustrate the world's injustices, but is nonchalant upon returning to Sarajevo, where a sociopathic criminal turned politician that he has offended is living. I'm insignificant, he says brushing off the danger, and the guy is secure and it was a long time ago. The docent at the cemetary revives Brik with a hope of shared feelings (vs. the stoic Rora) but we are not given the Gone With The Wind happy ending. There's a hazy something that Brik ends up chasing; he cannot go back to his wife but indifference, apathy, and helplessness are largely what Brik has found. The secondary story about Averbuch echoes the Sturm and Drang that is Brik's. Researching it provides a vehicle to transport Brik to revisit his past, and as a story-within-a-story serves to illustrate Brik's mental anguish (I got the sense that the author was concerned that if he wrote something too Kafkaesque he would lose too many potential readers). But it was just a story with an ending whereas Brik's life story might only conclude with hopelessness and death. The writing is compelling, vivid and sometimes graphic. He takes us from philosophical musings to action stories to tragic depictions and back again. The emotional ride is exhilirating; hopefully you'll appreciate where he lets you off. The Lazarus Project is about the precariousness of the human condition, where selfishness, maliciousness, capriciousness, randomness and other -ess’s can and often do have devastating life-changing effects. Brik, the main character, attempts to counterbalance the effect of things beyond one’s control with belief, faith, and soul. But he can’t internalize the hype. His wife represents the stolidness of the American Dream realized (sic) something to which he cannot reconcile himself, even resisting the good fortune that comes his way. Rora is his doppelganger, unconcerned with why bad things happen to good people, and determined to stay in the moment. His photographs, which evoke deep emotions in Brik, mean nothing more to Rora than that it was the right picture to take. He tells horrific stories that illustrate the world’s injustices, but is nonchalant upon returning to Sarajevo, where a sociopathic criminal turned politician that he has offended is living. I’m insignificant, he says brushing off the danger, and the guy is secure and it was a long time ago. The docent at the cemetary revives Brik with a hope of shared feelings (vs. the stoic Rora) but we are not given the Gone With The Wind happy ending. There’s a hazy something that Brik ends up chasing; he cannot go back to his wife but indifference, apathy, and helplessness are largely what Brik has found.

The secondary story about Averbuch echoes the Sturm and Drang that is Brik’s. Researching it provides a vehicle to transport Brik to revisit his past, and as a story-within-a-story serves to illustrate Brik’s mental anguish (I got the sense that the author was concerned that if he wrote something too Kafkaesque he would lose too many potential readers). But it was just a story with an ending whereas Brik’s life story might only conclude with hopelessness and death.

The writing is compelling, vivid and sometimes graphic. He takes us from philosophical musings to action stories to tragic depictions and back again. The emotional ride is exhilirating; hopefully you’ll appreciate where he lets you off.

]]>