The Way Through Doors by Jesse Ball (a review, this time)

A few days ago I wrote something of an homage to The Way Through Doors by Jesse Ball.  [The Jesse Ball link there is about as enigmatic as the book, so if you want more of the straight story on his career, click here.]

The book is homage-worthy.  This is one of those books where, as a reader, you pause at times to contemplate just where the story came from.  It springs seemingly from some dream-like state in which everything is possible.  Ball was not bound by the traditional narrative form.  Links between ideas and characters can seem ephemeral, yet they are beautiful.

This is not a book for everyone.  I can think of many people who would dislike it (intensely), but it is a rare gift of imagination for anyone who is willing to immerse him/herself in the gauze of Ball's creation.  I paused often while reading to try and visualise the world I had entered.  In doing so, the image that first came to mind was a map of the 'world' in some video games.  In some of them you can cut to a map that shows the levels or worlds, explored and unexplored.

In some that I have played (and it's been a very long time since I have), the map resembles ant tunnels underground.  Usually there is only one connection between the levels/worlds, like a gate or a door.  Within the levels, it feels like a self-contained and independent place in that each has an environment and characters.  To wake up in one of these worlds, it would seem like the world, but having played/worked to get there, one realises that it is only part of the puzzle.  By playing through, one sees the connections and feels a sense of completeness.

Reading The Way Through Doors feels something like that map.  The parts of the novel fit together to form a beautifully hallucinatory whole; the connections between them are delicate whimsy things that a careless reader could almost miss (just like getting lost in a level of a video game).  Reading through connects and completes the journey.

I have thought a lot about how to best appreciate The Way Through Doors (especially since I am encouraging several people to read it).  I alluded to this in my first post, but Doors should ideally be read in one sitting.  To sit down and suspend one's connection to daily life means being able to take off the leaden shoes of our expectations and let our minds float along with Ball's.  Putting the book down means having to re-enter and reorient oneself to the story.

With no pagination, no chapters, and only a fascinating system of line-numbering, that re-immersion is not as easy as with other novels.  So take my word for it - find a comfortable chair, start in the morning when your head is still a bit fuzzy and follow Selah Morse and his guess artist friend through the doors.  You might not finish until the evening, but you'll see and remember those magical doors and remember how you got from one room to another.

That is when the novel is at its most beautiful.

The Way Through Doors by Jesse Ball (In pale imitation but with great respect)

He rose from the ashes and sprinkled water all about.  The day was proving to be one of great potential with birds suddenly chirping their approval of the rising sun.

"Yes, you're right.  Today does indeed look promising," Adam agreed with his avian companions. "We should visit the bookstore for today we will surely find just the right book."

Adam strode away, looking back only to be sure that the fire was indeed out.  The last thing he wanted was for his carelessness to cause a conflagration that would ruin the promising day dawning for his feathered neighbours.  Passing his local news stand, Adam stopped to buy a package of his favourite smoked fish flavoured candy.  He planned to save it for later, knowing full well that his winged neighbours would be greatly offended if he did not share when he got home.  Somehow they had a way of sniffing out any unshared meals or snacks and expressed their displeasure in one of two ways.  If it was minor, they would simply begin their morning chirping extra early to wake him up.  Since every moment of slumber counted in his line of work, this was an effective form of reprimand.

In serious cases - and he believed that the smoked fish candy would count as one of those - they would swoop down over the ashes of his fire.  The result would be a great cloud of dust that got into everything you could imagine - his hair, clothes, and eyes among them.  Worse yet, when they were really mad, they would time their swooping to coincide with his meals leaving all his food covered in thick grey ash.

Yes, indeed, it was better to wait and share when he returned to the ashes from which he had risen.

The newsagent cheerily rang up his purchase and announced, "That will be $2.35, Adam."  He paused then, cocking his head to the side to regard him.  "I can see from the twinkle in your eye, Adam, that you are off to buy a book.  And, given this wondrous sun-filled sky, I believe you will find just the right book.

"That is indeed my plan!" said Adam.

"If that is the case, then may I recommend this fine literary supplement from our city's daily paper?  They have a special section on choosing just the right book."

"Oh, that sounds perfect.  I will take one.  How much is it?"

"For you, young sir, take it as a gift.  Think of it as my way of furthering arts and culture in our fine city."

Adam continued down the street, happier than ever and now fully convinced that he would find just the right book.  Passing the park on the way to the bookstore, he suddenly heard a friendly shout.

"Adam, please, come join me for a moment."  It was his friend Mariana.  She wasn't much of a reader but she had a natural talent for numbers.

Adam sat down and told Mariana about his day and his quest for the perfect book.  She was curious but had no recommendations to give.  After all, she wasn't much of a reader.  "I will say, however, that the square root of the number of pages in your literary supplement is 9.  Given that today is the third anniversary of my graduation, it seems prudent to multiply 9 x 3.  Hmmm.  Yes, exactly, go to page 27 in your supplement."  At that, Mariana rose to leave.  As it was her graduation anniversary she had a speech to prepare.

Adam, now comfortably settled on a park bench on a fine sunny day, turned to page 27 and began to read.

"The Way Through Doors is the perfect book for this wondrous sunny day.  After rising early from the ashes and buying some fish candy, nothing will be better than to settle yourself on a park bench and read.  

Having started this wondrous day early, you will have time to read The Way Through Doors in one delirious sitting, the way it was meant to be read.  Yes, you may stop to stare up at the sky now and then through the leafy canopy of the park, but otherwise, you can follow the heroic adventures of Selah Morse, pamphleteer and city inspector, and his guess artist friend.  

They follow a sinuous path of storytelling to dizzying depths and mythical heights.  

In short, this is the perfect book for you.