Guest Author - Elsa Neal

A good read

ISBN 0571219764

I’m tempted to say that Self is the one of the most creative books I’ve read in a long time. It is certainly the most imaginative and unusual “biography” I’ve read. Self begins supposedly as the narrator’s autobiography – and it could well be Martel’s life story, as he, too, moved constantly with his diplomat parents to various countries all over the world.

A few chapters in it becomes clear that this is fiction (I won’t give the reason away), as the unnamed protagonist moves through an increasingly bizarre life. Martel uses a clever and unusual twist to explore the meaning of identity, the depths of a human being’s understanding of themselves and others, and their relationships with the same and opposite sexes. In places the book is split into two columns when a different language is spoken, giving both the English and French, German, and other languages of the speakers.

Self is not a long book, but I was breathless by the end of it. Self is a wild, occasionally traumatic ride through a character’s soul.

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Self is available at Amazon.com
British readers can purchase Self at Amazon.co.uk