C (novel)
C is a 2010 novel written by Tom McCarthy. C is McCarthy's third novel and sixth book. The novel was shortlisted for the Booker Prize.[1] Critics were polarized by the work.[1]
![]() First edition (UK) | |
Author | Tom McCarthy |
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Country | United Kingdom |
Language | English |
Publisher | Jonathan Cape (UK) Knopf (US) |
Publication date | 2010 |
Media type | Print (Hardcover & Paperback) |
Pages | 400 |
Plot
The novel revolves around Serge Carrefax, born in the late 19th century in England. The plot follows his life before and after World War I.
Themes
A major theme in the novel is communication, and the way technology influences the way individuals and societies communicate.[2][3]
Reception
Jennifer Egan, writing for the New York Times, referred to the novel as fusing "Pynchonesque revelry in signs and codes with the lush psychedelics of William Burroughs".[4] Leo Robson, in a review for the New Statesman, describes the book as "full of familiar delights and familiar tedium". It continues "After a certain point, most sentences go something like this (not a parody): "Everything seems connected: disparate locations twitch and burst into activity like limbs reacting to impulses sent from elsewhere in the body, booms and jibs obeying levers at the far end of a complex set of ropes and cogs and relays."[5]
References
- Adams, Stephen (27 July 2010). "Peter Carey could be three-time Booker winner". The Daily Telegraph. London.
- Egan, Jennifer (8 September 2010). "Code World". The New York Times. Retrieved 30 September 2014.
- Tayler, Christopher (30 July 2010). "C by Tom McCarthy". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 September 2014.
- Egan, Jennifer (8 September 2010). "Code World". The New York Times. Retrieved 30 September 2014.
- New Statesman article