I got a bit behind with this year’s Peirene Press books, so I thought I’d blog them all in a row. A Belgian novel begins the 2016 series, which has the overall title of 2016 ‘Fairy Tale: End of Innocence’. Whatever you might anticipate for the start of that series, chances are you’re not expecting the tale of a talking gorilla…
The narrator of Peter Verhelst’s The Man I Became used to live in the trees, until he and other members of his family were captured and taken to the ‘New World’. There, they were taught to speak, made to dress like humans, and set to work in a theme park named Dreamland. There’s no proper rationale for all this, nor does there need to be: we’re dealing with a timeless space in which this can happen, and the matter-of-fact tone in David Colmer’s translation sells it completely.
It’s tempting to try to read Verhelst’s novel as an allegory, and there are certainly some scenes that lend themselves to a real-world interpretation, such as the image of gorillas roped together in a forced march across the desert. Ultimately, though, I think The Man I Became has to be taken on its own terms, because it creates its own reality so fully. For me, the key question raised by the book is: what does it mean to be human, exactly? The animals taken to Dreamland are given different D-shaped pins to wear depending on their rank, and “people with two gold Ds pinned to their chests were fully fledged humans.” So, if humanity can be granted with the gift of a badge, what does it really mean?
This is where the ‘end of innocence’ comes in, as Verhelst’s narrator realises the truth about Dreamland, and has to decide what kind of person he wants to be. The Man I Became is an intriguing start to Peirene’s Fairy Tale series, one that left me wondering what would come next. We’ll find out in a few days’ time.
Book details (Foyles affiliate link)
The Man I Became (2013) by Peter Verhelst, tr. David Colmer (2016), Peirene Press paperback.
22nd November 2016 at 8:36 am
There’s a lot in that little book, isn’t there? It flirts with a lot of major themes. I really enjoyed it.
22nd November 2016 at 8:54 am
I like the idea of an onslaught on Peirene novellas. They are always provoking, always beautiful objects. Best Christmas present I ever gave myself: a subscription.
And this novella is very disturbing. When I thought I had a handle on the allegory it veered into something else. Some of the images and scenes stick with me even months later. I look forward to your next review.
22nd November 2016 at 12:29 pm
All three books in the fairy tales series are fantastic!