18 Mar 2011 05:17:01
Eager to begin his search for meaningful human contact, Max pounces on his seatmate on a flight back to London and launches into a one-sided conversation with such gusto he doesn't notice when the other man suffers a fatal heart attack. It isn't an auspicious start for Max, but it is for us, as it sets the tone for what follows.
In another effort to prompt positive life changes, Max signs on with a startup to drive to the Shetland Islands and sell eco-friendly toothbrushes as part of a marketing scheme. It's a bizarre choice that allows him ample time for mid-life self-assessment, visiting with various people from his past, and developing an infatuation with his car's GPS.
In one sense "Maxwell Sim" is about the ways social media enhance or hinder our connections with other people. But another issue is how much of our privacy can be compromised to have those connections.
As Max meets with old friends and acquaintances, he gains access to documents that shed light on seminal events in his history, forcing him to reevaluate who he's known and what he has always believed. It's valuable information, but it's gained by deceptive means, either outright lies or irresistible voyeurism. More important, this new knowledge is obtained without direct human contact, which completely undermines his entire mission.
Sim's voice is light and charming, which belies his crisis of confidence, and makes his utter lack of self-awareness not nearly as irritating as it could be. And while the story itself meanders, here pausing for a not entirely fresh take on Facebook, there coming to a full stop to detail the story of a real-life yachtsman who went mad trying to circle the globe, the overall effect is surprisingly emotionally resonant.
But the novel takes a meta turn at the end, as though the author himself felt compelled to reach out and connect with his readers. It feels like an unnecessary "Get it?" and leaves an unfortunate hollow feeling to a book that is otherwise satisfying and endearing.
In another effort to prompt positive life changes, Max signs on with a startup to drive to the Shetland Islands and sell eco-friendly toothbrushes as part of a marketing scheme. It's a bizarre choice that allows him ample time for mid-life self-assessment, visiting with various people from his past, and developing an infatuation with his car's GPS.
In one sense "Maxwell Sim" is about the ways social media enhance or hinder our connections with other people. But another issue is how much of our privacy can be compromised to have those connections.
As Max meets with old friends and acquaintances, he gains access to documents that shed light on seminal events in his history, forcing him to reevaluate who he's known and what he has always believed. It's valuable information, but it's gained by deceptive means, either outright lies or irresistible voyeurism. More important, this new knowledge is obtained without direct human contact, which completely undermines his entire mission.
Sim's voice is light and charming, which belies his crisis of confidence, and makes his utter lack of self-awareness not nearly as irritating as it could be. And while the story itself meanders, here pausing for a not entirely fresh take on Facebook, there coming to a full stop to detail the story of a real-life yachtsman who went mad trying to circle the globe, the overall effect is surprisingly emotionally resonant.
But the novel takes a meta turn at the end, as though the author himself felt compelled to reach out and connect with his readers. It feels like an unnecessary "Get it?" and leaves an unfortunate hollow feeling to a book that is otherwise satisfying and endearing.
