The Shadow of the Coachman's Body by Peter Weiss (Book Review)

 

The Shadow of the Coachman's Body
By Peter Weiss
Print Price: $12.95

Published by New Directions, 2022

A reader can tell from the opening pages of this short novel that this is going to be "one of those books" that is artsy, high falutin', and wanders and meanders around with very little plot. It's really merely an impressionistic set piece. It is original and unique. I'll give it that. Starting from the perspective of the narrator describing the setting from the cracked door of an outhouse while he's taking a dump. He even takes time to describe the shit after he finishes his writing. Yes, folks, it's that kind of book. 

The setup for the book is simple. In a boarding house in the middle of nowhere live 11 people: the narrator, a hired man, a captain, Mr. Schnee, the tailor, a family of four, a doctor, and the housekeeper. The narrator, much like the author is a writer in search of a story where there is very little narrative. He is so desperate for stimulation that he puts salt in his eyes at night to blur his perceptions into something more interesting. 

Mr. Schnee digs up and studies rocks for god knows what. The doctor is in need of care, wrapped up in bandages like the Invisible Man or a mummy, always complaining about pain. The family has an abusive father who apparently beats his young son. The tailor is named thusly because he makes his own clothes out of rags. I don't really remember any of the people leaving to do a job or anything. The hired man does cut some wood and the housekeeper does cook and clean a bit but the others just seem to be existing and not much beyond that. 

Nobody's name is mentioned except for Mr. Schnee and I don't really know why HE of all the characters gets that honor. 

What did I think of this book? Well, I will say I knew what I was in for from the beginning. So I was not expecting much to happen. I did not expect the classic plot map unfolding before me, so I just let go of that and went with the flow. One of the things that I liked was there was very little dialogue from the characters and what there was overheard by the narrator so he only heard scraps of what was being around him, which is what life is really like when you are surrounded by strangers such as in a restaurant or even a store. Even though he lives in the same boarding house as the other characters the narrator feels very detached and isolated even though he never directly says this. 

I enjoyed the flow of the language and the virtuosity it took to describe very mundane things such as drinking coffee or eating dinner. Keep in mind that this book clocks in right around 80 pages so the banality of the events aren't very tiring. If it had gone on for over 100 pages there probably would have been a chance that I would have abandoned the book. 

I did admire the book's uniqueness and originality with topics and characters that were not unique or original. Weiss also included a few artworks of his own making in the book which while not illustrating exactly the events in the book, add to the mood and strangeness of the novel. 

My Grade: C