Book Reviews

I don't, generally, read book reviews. No, let me straighten that a little bit. I don't, generally, read book reviews in the Malaysian media. (I say that because I am guilty of reading -- or half-reading, because I am too imaptient -- some reviews in certain foreign magazines, not much but some.) Before I am asked why, I would like to ask the question, "How many people actually read reviews and why do they read them?"

Let me diverge. I used to read a lot of music reviews. I, sort of, established a relationship with the reviewer ­-- not personally but you know, through the media. I would follow weekly columns by two of them in particular because they seemed to like the type of music I did and I felt that I could trust their judgment and recommendations. I was not wrong. (Later, I found out that they were both musicians themselves on the side, so they knew what they were talking about.) Then they stopped writing, and I stopped reading music reviews. (Maybe that was my loss, but never mind.)

So one of the reasons people read reviews is to find out the views of critics whose opinions they trust. I read a criticism of a review that appeared in London newspaper recently. The book was The Speed of Light by Javier Cercas. And the criticism of the review: the reviewer gives a synopsis of the plot and what other reviewers think about it but does not say anywhere if she agrees or disagrees, or if she herself liked it. The crime was that she has no opinion of her own. Boy, let us hope the person who posted that story does not read any review in our local media.

How many such reviews have we read in our local newspapers where the reviewer gives the outline of the entire plot, but absolutely no opinion? And then there are those who lift bits and pieces of other reviews (probably, from the internet), stitch them together -- sometimes cleverly, sometimes stupidly -- and pass it off as their own. And then there are those about whom you wonder, "Have they really read the book?" or "Are we talking about the same book here?" Is that also the reason there are so few reviews of local books in our media -- there is no one to read them and there is nothing to lift off from the internet?

How many people do you know who watch a play, go to a movie or read a book, but are still not sure if they like the experience before they read a review about it? It appears as if forming your own opinion is one of the hardest things to do. (Try to get someone to suggest a place for dinner.) Is this a question of lack of self-confidence, perhaps? What if others liked it, and I didn't? Duh!

I ran into a young man at a teh tarik place who I knew had just watched a play the night before and who I also knew was going to write a review about it for a local daily. "So how was the play?" I asked. "Really bad," was his reply, "But don't worry, I will think of something to write." I was worried. When his article came out, it was a 'glowing' review of the play -- the lighting was beautiful, the setting was beautiful, the concept was very interesting, etc, etc. Why didn't he say what he wanted to say? That it stank? (Even some of the actors in the show thought so when I spoke to them later). Was he afraid to hurt some feelings?

That is it, isn't it? We are so afraid of hurting feelings that we have developed non-reviewing into an art form. Some of you older folk might remember the cat fight by the media some years ago. The play was A Mid Summer Night's Dream, a garden play set at Carcosa Seri Negara (which a friend's father calls the kakus -- lavatory in Tamil). It was panned by a critic in one of the newspapers who said that the only thing interesting about the whole night were the toilet taps in the establishment. Boy did that start a savage cat fight. I don't know if blood was shed but I know many people didn't talk to one another for several years after that.

So there you are: you have either 'non-reviews' or personal attacks. Oh yes, there is also one more type: the gushing fan-boy (or fan-girl) review, so terminally cute, enough to give you diabetes or make you puke, or both. But, let us not go there.

I do routinely glance through every book page I come across, though, if only to see what is new. But I am almost always disappointed. Many of the books are neither new nor old enough to be classics. Then the inevitable thought comes up, Where are the local books? No one to read them? No space (or not good enough) even for capsule reviews? A star rating might help. Too sensitive? We are Malaysians, aren't we?

Postscriptum: My congratulations to Daphne Lee on her article in the StarMag on Sunday, 2nd September. That must have taken courage.