646. House Mother Normal

House Mother Normal

B.S. Johnson
1971
Around 200 pages

Once again, I was only able to track down a B.S. Johnson novel by obtaining a free audio version, as my library has tried to wipe out all proof of this guy's existence in their collection. I don't entirely blame them. As this novel is presented in a series of monologues, it actually worked better as a performance than it likely would have on page. But I still hated it, and my plea to the gods for non disgusting novels continues to go unanswered.

Set in the a nursing home, the novel gives each old person a section to narrate. Everybody is experiencing the same day, but each character has their own interpretation of events, given their varying levels of senility and hearing loss. We get increasingly non lucid accounts until we finish with the House Mother's section.

Nursing homes are the most depressing locations in the world, so I guess Johnson is trying to bring some absurdist levity to the situation. And the humor just does not land for me (see above, regarding sickening prose). Although I did relate to the one woman who just wanted everybody to leave her alone so she could read.

Happily, this is the last B.S. we will have to deal with.

RATING: *----

Interesting Facts:

There is a collection of B. S. Johnson's literary papers and correspondence in the British Library.

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