Couples
Never read any Updike before, that I can remember, and I found this in a free bookshop in Stratford. Not an independent or underground bookshop - one that gives you 3 books free of charge. A no lose situation I thought, as one of Updike's characters may say. And that's the problem. His characters all seem a bit one dimensional and very irritating. And unlikeable. Add to that the descriptions of infidelity, not graphic but mainly from the emotional viewpoint, and other character's views of these shenanigans creates a very dated and boring novel. I guess it was written in the mid 60's and by all accounts it was pretty risque at the time so maybe this was a breath of fresh air east coast style. But reading now it falls between being provocative, sexy, titillating or illuminating. I thought at first that the style was something I could hang onto but even that becomes tedious and predictable. It's as if it's written for a magazine in a formulaic way. I got a third of the way through and whilst I found the book amusing, not funny amusing but it passed the time, I wasn't hooked. Pausing my evening's reading to make a cup of tea I came back and just couldn't face opening the thing up again. I was bored. Life's too short to read Updike, at least my remaining life is. Maybe I should've read it back in the 70's when it was only 10 years old and when I was a pubescent youth and open to a bit of titillation. But I'm sure he didn't write for frustrated British early teens. Christ, I'm beginning to write like him. I don't often give up on a novel but the bookmark is forever lodged between pages 158 and 159. Not enjoyable.
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