Staff Recommendation #26 : "S." by Doug Dorst and J.J. Abrams

When I first heard that J. J. Abrams was co-creating a book, my inner fangirl went crazy! As readers of this blog may know I am a huge fan of Fringe, Lost, and Star Trek (2009), all either created or directed by Abrams. While I admit I have not seen everything he's been involved with, I give almost all of it a try. And I knew that S. would be another one of those that I would have to try.

S., conceived by Abrams and written by Doug Dorst, is a story within a story. One story is the physical book Ship of Theseus by V. M. Straka. The other is within the margins of Ship of Theseus, which tells the story of Jen, a college senior, and Eric, a graduate student at the same college.

Jen and Eric are trying to uncover the mystery surrounding Straka, the author of Ship of Theseus, while they are learning to trust each other and figure out what their futures hold. Jen stumbles upon the book in the college library only to discover that someone has been making notes in the margins. She decides to read the book herself and returns it with a message of her own. Thus begins their old fashioned correspondence and their friendship. They continue to communicate and try to solve the enigma that is Straka, through the margin notes and a variety of other items, such as postcards and letters (when there is too much to share in a margin).

Meanwhile, we are pulled into the mystery of the man, S, in Straka's book. S has no memory of his past but is reluctantly swept along with a group of revolutionaries. S ends up on a ship filled with a strange and intriguing crew that will be his home for many years, although it only feels like days to him. He is also desperately trying to find his way back to the woman who captured his heart so long ago.



I'm not going to get into what these stories represent because I don't think that I have that figured out. Sad to say, but the idea of this book had me more excited than the book itself. I don't regret reading it, but it's not a book to be taken lightly.

One of the most important things to know about reading S., is that you probably should have a strategy for reading. Theories abound on the internet on the best way to approach it. Some say read Ship of Theseus the whole way through and then only go back and read the margin notes and ephemera. Others say read a chapter and then the notes. While others insist on reading the margin notes along with Ship of Theseus. My strategy changed while I read it which I think affected my feelings on this book.

My overall recommendation though is that if you love books - how they look, how they feel, even how they smell - then you should take a chance on S., you won't be disappointed.

-- Get S. from the catalog.



--Post by Tracy