Hubert Aquin's "Next Episode" is one of the most unique books I have ever read. The process by which he takes the reader through his mental and physical journey is complicated, yet intriguing. Overall, I did not love the book. Though it kept my attention the whole time and I never felt the need to put it down, it is probably because I was waiting for the few characters involved to be more interactive. The plot is ambiguous and confusing at times, so it was hard for me to become attached on a passionate level.

I noticed throughout the book that the protagonist is just as confused as the reader, however, if not more. Aquin’s attempt at a creative prose is successful, as I have never read anything with so many profound statements. His thoughts are almost otherworldly. It seems that no other human being would have such advanced and elaborate thoughts as the protagonist, but it works with his character in a way.

In our class discussions on this book, I hope to unscramble the plot and put together the pieces so I am able to fully grasp what exactly happened. Once I am able to look back at the book with a clearer understanding of what happened in a more linear sequence of events, I will have more detailed questions for the class.

I found Aquin's NEXT EPISODE to be a fast-paced romp of a noir story. From about chapter two, it became apparent to me that this book had a certain style all its own when the chapter began with "Sometime between 1760 and 1960" (or something to that effect). A very bold and obviously audacious author in deed.

However, the author was unable to captivate my attention throughout the entire novel. Towards the third act, where the protagonist (who is nameless) is awaiting for "H." (sorry, I don't have my book on hand to get the entire name of this character) in and near his suite, it was nearly unbearable to sit through the dementia of the protagonist as he insufferably wanes on every-single-little detail instead of just getting on with it and killing his target.

Also, although the writing style has its own charm and is an obvious showpiece of the author's intellect, does each sentence have to have a stylistic element? I understand the need for this kind of writing style in a noir-piece, however, the sentence-structure can be best described as "impatient", as though the writer could not just have even a single sentence that was "ordinary" or plain, each line had to be as poetic as the setting and genre would allow, which at times was frustrating because, well, let's face it, the book is not long by any stretch and it would have been nice to get more plot into such a short read.

Final gripe. The cliffhanger of an ending, which appears to have been cut short due to Aquin's death, is off-putting. The lack of continuity and a final act/confrontation is analogous to renting a DVD and watching 3/4ths of the film, only to have it skip on the viewer just before the last scene where the scuffy apprentice battles the master, when M. Night Shymalan gives up his stupid damn twist that a 5-year-old could see coming just from the previews, or when the mystery is revealed and it's Mr. Greene with the revolver in the dining hall (or when Clive Owen delivers the baby in the apartment complex...etc. etc.). It's unfortunate, because this book is such a tablet read, all encompassing and condensed enough to be read, no, demands to be read in a single sitting. The noir style is so nostalgic of a silver age of literature and film, the protagonist's dementia and idiosyncrasies were quite interesting (why do we never solve the puzzle!) and the pacing was nearly as break-neck as the genre would allow. If only we were given a true ending to the piece where all the loose strands would entwine and we can step back and see the tapestry for what it was, instead of...well, having so many loose strands left on the cutting room floor.

I am not sure what to make of Hubert Aquin's novel "Next Episode". I have not finished the book yet but would like to share my initial reactions to this work of fiction.

First and foremost I have to admit that I was totally lost at first as to what was going on in the story. I was able to discern that the narrator was in some kind of prison of mental institute, but that was about it. Then as the story continues, we learn that he is involved or is imagining that he is part of a spy plot. It was very interesting to me the way that Aquin went about writing this book, we have to wonder if the spy plot is real or not, and I think that the biggest question we need to unlock is whether or not this book is indeed a work of fiction or is this an autobiography or a memoir of Aquin's life? As the class progresses with this novel I am hoping that the answers to these questions will become clearer.

The last comment I want to make about "Next Episode" is the way in which Aquin writes. For me Aquin's constant use of adjectives and the feeling of having to describe everything in such vivid detail, detracts from the story. I feel as though I am spending so much time reading descriptions and unnecessay words that I often times find myself having to stop and think about what the plot of that particular scene is.

Although "Next Episode" is my least favorite book I have read for this class, I will say in its defense that there are a lot of great literary terms that come up while reading it, and I think that this can help us understand more of where Aquin was coming from when he wrote this book.

Hmmm....Next Episode. Where do I begin? I'm so torn as to what my sentiments are toward this book. It was very hard for me to get into. I am sure that many, if not all, of the people in the class would agree. I honestly felt like I was reading some elaborate stream of consiousness or avant-garde poem of sorts throughout the entire novel (would this even be considered a novel?). While the story/stories were a bit hard to grasp, I love Aquin's writing. I have not read such an eloquent piece in a while. Naturally, I am an English major because I love words...especially when they are strung together with such deep elegance. Oddly enough, some of his sentences really reminded me of Jim Morrison's philosophical poetry.

There are hundreds of examples that I could chose from, but here were a few of my favorite sentences/descriptions:

"To descend word by word into my memory pit, to invent other companions who already perturb me, leading me into a knot of wrong tracks and, finally, to go into exile once and for all outside my botched country" (pg. 13).

"A naked event, my book is writing me, it is open to understanding only on condition that it is not moved from its historical context..." (pg.65).

There are many more as well, but I especially love when the narrator/Aquin talks about his writing because as an avid writer myself, it is very easy to connect to. It is obvious that Aquin is a natural writer. Initally, during the first few pages of the book I thought to myself, "wow, each sentence is so thought out". But then a few minutes later I realized it was the exact opposite. I don't think that writing like that can come together so beautifully without it being a natural, flowing occurance. I am sure he edited the book several times, but it is apparent that he has a very raw gift.

Lastly, I cannot help but think about what so many schools of literary thought have said about removal of the author/context. We touched on this topic on Thursday (discussing "The Death of the Author", Barthes). In many aspects I do agree that knowing about the author's life, their situation during the writing of the book, etc. can truly taint a reading experience. It is like how knowing everything about an actress skews your perception of their character in a movie. But for "Next Episode", I think it would be nearly impossible to understand the book without any knowledge about Aquin and/or the political tumult of the time. As one of the earlier quotes claims, the book can only be understood if it remains within its historical context.

All in all, I would have tossed the book across the room and let it collect many a dust bunny if I wasn't forced to read it for class. But that being said, I am GLAD that I read the whole thing because it really is incredible for a myriad of reasons. It was nominated for "Canada Reads" for a reason. Luckily it was 120 pages. I really would love to look into other works by Aquin, as his writing fascinates me.

The first couple pages of Next Episode weren’t very easy to get through, but once the story transition into the espionage story it was much easier to follow. I like how Aquin has strange transitions between the protagonist of the espionage story, the narrator of the prison, and his own personal narrative. I think it really helps the reader focus on exactly what they are reading and makes to story intriguing because it is difficult to understand which of the three narratives is actually communicating to the audience. There are very distinctive chapters which transfer from the espionage story to the ideas of the imprisoned narrator and Aquin. I think one of the most important chapter occurs on pages 61-68. This one chapter is filled with of writing a story which defies the rules of traditional literature, and the personal angst Aquin has for the Québécois lack of revolutionary persistence. Although I think the book is captivating, I also find it very disturbing. In every chapter of the book there is a reference to suicide from the espionage character, the imprisoned narrator, or Aquin. I seriously believe that Aquin might have been very disturbed and might have taken the Québécois revolution a little too personally. The book almost seems to be an eloquent suicide note which describes the destruction of each character. Besides the books disturbing nature, it is definitely one of the more intriguing books I’ve read.

I too had difficulty with getting through the first 25 pages or so, however it did definitely pick up after becoming more of the spy novel. Knowing the political position of Aquin, the book was much more clear than it would have been had I not known about his involvement with the FLQ. It was helpful to have this knowledge to help interpret the spy novel, which I took to be his struggle between Québec (K) and Canada (de Heutz). The style was obviously bizarre, and I'm not exactly sure how to categorize it other than "metafiction" as we discussed in class. I didn't particularly enjoy the novel while I was reading it, but having completed it and discussed it a bit, it has certainly grown on me. I liked the idea of having 2 or 3 stories going on at once, I'm just not sure how well it was executed in this case. Perhaps that style of writing is inherently difficult to follow. I found myself rereading pages to try to figure out who was narrating, and despite my basic knowledge of French Swiss geography, I had difficulty figuring out where the character was at times. this was complicated by the fact that Aquin would relate the two fictions that were being simultaneously written, in a sentence like "Cruising the road from Lausanne he envisioned the pastures of the Eastern Townships" (not a sentence from the book, but it happened in there somewhere). This caused a bit of confusion for me, not knowing what character Aquin was discussing, maybe both? I look forward to rereading the novel for my essay and hopefully understanding more of the perspective.

So far, Next Episode has been quite the enjoyment for me, solely based on the writing style of the book. I have really enjoyed how Aquin just transitions from one portion of the story to another without skipping a beat and is constantly using descriptive phrases, which seem to just build upon on another. I'll admit, this hasn't exactly been easy to follow along with but I just found something enjoyable about the style, almost like a structured stream of consciousness since his thoughts seem to just flow with some sort of structure but then abruptly change their pace and move to another part of the story. Overall I think that this book is much more about its style than its content, since it seems that the story could be told much more clearly and concisely in a different fashion and wouldn't be all that exciting (at least up to where I am) but by inducing his interesting style into the book Aquin makes it about much more than simplistic stories and this is what has kept me reading and interested.

My first reaction to Next Episode was….What? I found the entire beginning of the novel to be a puzzle. It seemed to have no real storyline and it was extremely hard to follow. I could not figure out who was telling the story either. I was unable to determine if it was the narrator or Hubert Aquin. I did not like the writing style of the author as well. He seemed to ramble on in an imperceptible direction with no easy to follow storyline. It was meant to be a spy novel written by a man in a mental institution written by an author in a mental institution. For me the novel had the same effect as two mirrors facing each other. I could not figure out where the images were actually coming from. Were they coming from the spy, the narrator, or Aquin? This has been, by far, my least favorite novel up to this point. I found it too confusing to following and had a hard time getting into it. The other books we have read I really enjoyed, but this one felt like a chore to read. I am hoping that the next novel gets back to the fun enjoyable reads we have had so far. While the Next Episode was interesting in its style, it was not the type of book I truly enjoy.

The Next Episode is a novel that needs to be read carefully, and in doing so I found the way that Arquin wove together suspense and verse enthralling. I realize that this is a translation and that the original, which is in French, may contain more verse than a translation would, yet the artistic style of the author still shows through. The recurance of syllables and use of natural imagery makes a mental picture that helps control the complicated blurring of characters. The ending leaves the reader with a sense of confusion and even melancholy. It is a serious subject at which Arquin threw himself into and he seems to grasp the reality of mental illness and spy stories. I wish the ending could bring more closure to a mystifying story.

Aquin's novel is a new style in my life, as I have never before encountered literature so confusing, with many voices and different characters to try to identify. The characters are nearly indistinguishable, a "Gordian Knot" of his Aquin’s own tangling. I find myself deep in a description of one character, only to realize that it could be just as easily another character’s inner thoughts. Yet I still found myself very engaged in the book. Aquin’s work takes away this so-called standard form of a “novel”, and shows us that the author truly does have ultimate control when it comes to writing. This book interested me in its technical structure (or lack thereof), and it reminds me that there is always the ability for immense creativity and battling of inner psyche in literature.

Unlike most of the people who have posted so far, I found Next Episode to be the most engaging, enjoyable novel we have read yet, though I can certainly understand the negative or unsure reactions. What most people seemed put off by was what I enjoyed most: the constantly shifting, unsteady nature of not only the perspective but all aspects of the novel's reality intrigued me very much. I heard Professor Martin mention that he has taught Margaret Atwood in the past, an author that I enjoy very much, particularly The Handmaid's Tale, a book that plays with reality and reliability of the narrator, and her awareness of her own fallibility in ways very similar to Next Episode. Perhaps having had exposure to that type of writing gave me a little advance preparation for the bizarreness of Next Episode.

However, I can't say I was completely prepared for the wild shifts in perspective and tone, which occur on a level The Handmaid's Tale never came close to reaching. In one line, we might be in the head of the spy narrator, immersed in thrilling espionage (which, when it lasted, I did find dramatic and entertaining), and two lines later the floor will fall out from under us and we'll be in the head of the imprisoned author. Though these shifts are sometimes a little disorienting, I did find them enjoyable in that they force you to think about not just the predicament of the narrator(s), but also the nature of the narrative itself, and of the whole idea of fiction in general.

I found that reading the Next Episode was a challenge because it was difficult to keep track of what exactly was going on with each character. I am under the impression that the multiple references to suicide scattered throughout the novel are there to provide the reader with information about the author, and perhaps the inner battles that he struggled with. While reading the text I began to compile a list of words that I was unfamiliar with, which left me feeling satisfied knowing that I had to look to outside sources to understand that text, rather than just sitting back and enjoying a book that does not require the reader to be actively engaged in thought.

This novel was a dense read. When I first started it I underestimated the ease, complexity, and length of the book. I was confused at first but after coming back to it the second time, the pieces started to come together. I thought it was interesting how there are basically three narrators throughout the novel, one being the spy, the other being the jailed author and the last being the views of Aquin himself. For a novel that is so politically driven in nature, the espionage story is quiet intriguing. The fact that it was in the first person so we were able to read what he was thinking all the time made it much more interesting and fun to read. I haven't really ever read espionage novels or stories before so I do not have any to compare to but it brought me back to the James Bond films except we know everything that the spy is thinking. Even though the author is ficticious, whenever I was reading the book I was imagining Aquin sitting at this desk in his cell writing the book as he killed time in his incarciration. As many people have said there was a lot of vocabulary that was confusing and not common, but to me that is an interesting part of the book. Not always understanding what is happening is a good thing to me since you can be constantly trying to decifer what Aquin is saying and can come up with different ideas each time, and that is the mystery of the novel and what makes it fasinating.

Hubert Aquin's Next Episode did not really sink until I had reread portions of it a second or third time. It was then that I began to see the recurring themes of liquid, sinking, Greek History, etc. The beginning caught my attention becuase right away the reader is sharing the mind of the author. Although the writing is extremely convoluted and dense there is a underling sense that the entire time Aquin is struggling right alongside this confusion.

I enjoyed how aquin shifted between the various narrators so seamlessly. I would be reading about one thing and without realizing I would be shifted into a different set of thoughts.

Next Episode offers a great view of the chaotic thoughts of Aquin trying to deal with constraints as a prisoner a person and a writer.

I got about 20 pages in Aquin's First Episode and was confused and bored by the book. Due to all the other things I had going on in other classes, I put the book aside. I decided to listen to 2 class lecture's to better understand the book, before jumping back in. By doing this I learned a lot about the novel: it's origin and Aquin's background/involvement in Quebecois movement and I was introduced to the meta-fiction genre.
When I got back into the novel things made a lot more sense. I guess this is not the most tradition approach, you are supposed to understand a book by reading it, but i dont like being confused.
Once I understood the numerous story lines that were occurring,i re-read the first 20 pages and comprehended what was happening. The rest of the novel went smoothly, although there were still times i didnt completely understand what was going on or as Paul said, "who the 'I' was."
As Julia mentioned, Next Episode was not my favorite book, but once I finished it i was glad; i felt like i had accomplished something.
And even though the novel didnt seem groundbreaking while i was reading it, in reflection, Next Episode is a smart, powerful novel.
As other people have said, I was lost when it came to geography in book. I wasnt sure if the all places were irrelevant and just a standard 'part' of the spy novel, or if i just conned myself into thinking that because i didnt want to look them up.
Either way, I wished that I listened to Paul and wikipedia-ed the dates in the novel, in order to better understand all the cultural and political references Aquin makes.
Finally, my favorite thing about the novel was its metafiction style. I liked that there were numerous storylines, often combined in one chapter. Usually books with multiple storylines alternate them by chapters, which can get a little predictable.
Aquin's style was so fast-paced, and switched back and forth so frequently, it was almost sloppy--in a good way.

There are too many things that I'd like to say about this book. I agree with most of the class in that it was entirely confusing 90% of the time. He's two or three characters at once, he's the good guy and the bad guy, he's a spy but an awful spy, he's a lover and a revolutionary--it's almost too much to take. Therefore, I'd like to just forget about all that with this blog post and take it in a different direction.

First, the most prevalent and obvious thing about this book is the french pride Aquin exudes in his writing. Here the Québécois are the side of justice, the strong, smart, and moral side. In The Tin Flute, the family's french identity symbolized their poverty. In the hospital they could not understand the intelligent doctors and nurses because they were living as the poor, uncultured class that didn't keep up with changing times and modern ideals. Here, Aquin as a spy and prisoner embraces his roots and fights to keep his heritage prevalent and protected. It shows a different side of Canadian life. One filled with positive french culture and pride.

Secondly, as a spy novel I think Next Episode fell short. Aquin's style of writing allows him to jump from event to event, but the reader is lost somewhere along the way. The quick pace may be a reflection of the thoughts and actions of this stealth predator, but it lacked the action and suspense that I hoped for. However, Aquin redeems himself with the sheer passion that he writes with. Switching to thoughts of K, whether it be his home or his lover, fuels his actions and gives his writing depth, encouraging the reader to get emotionally involved with the material. His first-person point of view lets you get into his head and understand his motives as a character, allowing you to love, hate, and move with him.

Hubert Aquin’s “Next Episode” was one of the most challenging books I have read thus far in college. I was forced to reread several sections because I did not understand what had just happened. Aquin’s style of writing is unique and demands a lot from the reader. The plot seems to go back and forth which makes it hard to follow. There were three different points of view and it was confusing for me when they would seem to switch randomly. I am going to have to say that when I finished reading it I was not altogether pleased with the experience. I found myself losing interest in a few sections which may have been the reason I was forced to reread. I found the narrator to be a lost character. He was not a constant man throughout the novel; he was changing from the spy to the prisoner to Aquin. He seemed to be constantly looking for an answer that he is never going to find.

The one thing that I noticed most about the book was when the narrator told the story about his wife and children to avoid being shot by HH, who than in turns uses the story in the reversed situation. For the life of me I can not understand this strange event. It is also surprising that the narrator was actually considering the story after he had told the same one a few hours before. I felt that both men were not true killers. They both had the chance to do so to one another and both failed to do so. HH had the chance to shoot the narrator, but when he heard the story he told he seemed to sympathize with him. I believe it showed how similar these two characters are. The narrator is not able to answer the question about HH because he is not able to solve his own problems.

Of the books we've read so far in this class, the Next Episode was without doubt my favorite book. There's no question that it was confusing at times, and a more sophisticated read, but I think that's one of the reasons I enjoyed it so much. I found myself often having to reread passages, sometimes even 3 or 4 times to understand the full meaning of what Aquin was trying to tell us.

I loved that this book was written in such a way that we were sometimes following one narrator, and other times a completely different narrator, even though it was all spoken in the same person (as in same author). I think Aquin must have resembled his characters in many ways...especially that he was probably an extremely complex person, and I imagine few people ever really figured him out, as we (as readers) will never really be able to figure out his characters.

I espeially loved the ending of this book...Aquin was able to kind of sum everything up and yet still leave us with soo many questions. It's funny that in class we'd talked about this book as being one of the author's first works, because to me it felt like an ending for Aquin. I truly thought that he committed suicide shortly after writing this, and it was his way of putting himself in the many characters' shoes and saying goodbye to the world. I look forward to reading some of his later works, and especially the one that he DID write last!

After reading the first couple chatpers of "Next Episode" I was trying to think of a word to describe it to people that haven't read it, thus boiling down my initial reaction to one word and making this blog posting process much easier for the reader and myself. The problem was that I couldn't nail down the feeling of the book. I found myself trying to explain the interplay between the three characters that are doing the writing and only succeeded in confusing myself. But after thinking about a bit more, and then abandoning thinking about it while I watched "Hot Fuzz" for the eleventh time, I came to the conclusion that the novel reads very much like a film is viewed. The way that the narrators switch so fluidly reminds me of watching an avant-garde film done completely in montage in which the passages are placed together for specific reasons and it's up to us to unpack everything and discover the meaning behind the writing.

Something else that I found myself thinking about was the reoccuring theme of liquid. The bodies of water mentioned, the narrator speaking about sinking. All of this connected (in my brain at least) to how I read to book, which was like reading a description of an avant-garde film.

Before reading the Next Episode I had no idea what to expect from Hubert Aquin. However, from the second I began reading I was amazed. Aquin is one of the most talented writers I have ever read. In a similar fashion to sci-fi greats like Philip K Dick, Aquin writes in an infectious stream of consciousness. Although I do not always understand what is going on, that is what makes Aquin so enjoyable. His work is fast-paced and unique. Most breathtaking for me is the way in which Aquin captures the psyche of a revolutionary. My favorite quote was on page 7: "psychiatry is the science of individual imbalance enclosed within a flawless society. It enhances the standing of conformists and the well integrated, not those who refuse; it glorifies all forms of civil obedience and acceptance." In a postmodern world, all establishments need to be questioned, as Aquin does so vividly. In the end, the way Aquin symbolized the revolution with water was brilliant.

There’s no question that Aquin’s style is difficult to read since each sentence is packed to the brim with meaning. The reader is rewarded for this struggle with more questions than answers. Still, I loved reading this text repeatedly and I’m looking forward to picking it up again soon in the vain attempt to decipher Aquin’s coded logic. I don’t know if the text drips of profundity or the author’s exaggerated self-importance, especially since his suicide is used to simultaneously revolt against oppression and threaten the reader’s ability to finish the book. A little of both I imagine.

During my reading, I eventually gave up trying to differentiate the narrators (the author, the jailed protagonist, the spy, the lover). In doing so, I recognized that the ambiguous nature of the narrators, overlapping and contradicting one another, all seem to be projections of the same person. Someone else on the forum mentioned the “mirror in a mirror” illusion, in which you can see yourself an infinite number of times. I think that best describes Aquin’s art form.

I was most frustrated by the continuous cliffhangers, which mimick the style of a crime novel building suspense. Aquin uses these suspenseful breaks in the action to blend the narrations into a singular sentiment. Whole paragraphs can be read from the perspectives of each narrative layer and the narrators influence one another’s actions.

The spy hesitates to end the life of his mysterious foe (who also resembles him as we see when the spy enters his victim’s apartment) and never knows whether he’s actually killed a man. The jailed narrator struggles with the structure of the spy novel, interrupting his character’s actions by giving up on the plot. Similarly, Aquin as the jailed author of this novel frequently inserts his voice into the text. He relates to the endless waiting that his jailed narrator suffers, as he is also stuck in a cell and unable to materialize the fantasy of escape through the character of the spy. He says at the end (pg. 121), “My story is interrupted because I don’t know the first word of the next episode.”

I wonder if the cause of this hesitation is the author’s blind love for K, the (literal and metaphoric) representative of Quebec. Is K the blonde woman having an affair with the spy’s nemesis? If so, is this representative of Quebec’s betrayal of Aquin? And is Aquin trying to maintain ignorance of this betrayal?

See? More questions than answers.

With the opening words, "Cuba is sinking," Hubert Aquin's novel immediately drew me in. As I read further, with its Bond-meets-Camus amalgamation of concrete action and existential intrigue, Next Episode was really speaking to my own personal sensibilities.

Beyond satisfying both my love for the spy novel as well as the existential and metaphysical wanderings of Sartre, Kafka, and the like, this duality also reflects the question of what is real. This query is central to the overall philosophical issues raised in the story. At times, it is hard for us, as the reader, to know what is 'real' versus imagined in the story, as this nebulous presentation of the narrative is intrinsic to Aquin's questioning of the central character's own perception of reality and thus, his sanity. Arguably, this dichotomy between the known and unknown is crucial, as the questionable sanity of the revolutionary (whose life bears coincidental similarity to the author's own) becomes a metaphor for consciousness.

The autobiographical element of Next Episode effectively lends resonance to the main character's voice. Also, in addition to reinforcing certain political ideals, it is fundamental to the novel's component of metafiction. "...My book is writing me..."(p.65) Here, Aquin is almost toying with the relationship between reader and writer and also the relationship between writer and writing.

Though ostensibly confusing, the form of the story is only an obstacle if approached with too much of the reader's own intent as to how a story should make sense. The subtlety and borderline vagueness of how Next Episode unfolds plays on the most basic aspects of storytelling: the extent of what the reader can know depends on what the writer tells them. As the spy struggles in isolation writing his story, it is hard to differentiate between what comes from his life and his imagination.

For all intents and purposes, our reality is inextricably linked to our perception, which suggests that the narratives of each of our own lives is as much based on our perception of events as it is on the events themselves. Therefore, the critical question to consider in Next Episode is not what is really happening in the story but, rather, what the implications are of our inability to know. Perhaps, just as we fill-in the voids of what isn't clear in the story, we do the same thing in filling-in what the labyrinthine nature of existence precludes us from being able to know.

My first reaction to The Next Episode was confusion. I couldn't keep up with what was happaning in the first few pages and had to continuall read back on myself and figure out what was going on. It definatly is the type of book that takes several readings to figure out all the details and to be able to give someone else a decent synopsis of it. I really like the fact that the basis is basically that this guy is writing a spy story to fill up the time as he sits in a jail cell. It makes one think what they would do in the same situation.
As some of my classmates have mentioned, i also found his writing very similar to camus, specifically the stranger. This whole idea of what exactly reality is is very intriguing as it pertains to each and every one of us as we try and create our own realities. It's the questions Aquin makes us ask ourself that make the book so captivating, as one other student put it, "he leaves us with more questions than answers. Any book that can do this is a good one as it has a lasting effect on us because we keep thinking about it. I look forward to having the time to read this again so i can more fully understand everything that's occuring and to again question what reality is. Also, knowing how the author actually dies makes the novel more interesting, albeit in a creepy way.

The Next Episode is definately the most unique out of a handful of unique books we have been discussing. While I really do love the idea of having several stories going on at once, I have to agree with most of the class that initially it is very confusing and difficult to get your bearings on exactly what is happening and where you are. I found the best way was to just read in more of a disconnected way until eventually some sense started to be made, which happened, but not entirely.

I found that I did enjoy this book, likely because I am one that likes twists and turns and was very intrigued by this search for reality and question as to what reality actually is. The fact that the author was in a jail cell writing a story to pass the time definately speaks to a sense of isolated madness and one trying to get a grasp of something good and meaningful in what at the moment is a disturbed life, and I feel as though the way in which this story is presented succeeds in capturing those emotions and that state of mind.

When I first started reading Next Episode I could not get into the book. I don't know what it was but the first few pages just did not grab my attention. However, once I got passed those pages the story and Hubert Aquin's descriptions sucked me in. I could not put it down and I really enjoyed it. The way everything was described made me feel like I was in the story.

I agree with everyone that it was confusing to follow along. I realized that I had to re-read passages when I missed something which took me a little longer to get through the book but made it more enjoyable. My only big complaint, which I feel just makes me an ignorant American, is that the French threw me off. Every time I came to a French word I did my best to read it as I thought it was supposed to be read but having no background in French I'm sure I butchered most of the words. As a result of stumbling over the words I felt that I would be really into the reading and then was pulled away because I was having difficulty with the words.

I’ve never read a book like Next Episode before. After reading it through the first time, I thought back to when I first purchased it, thinking it would be easy because it’s so skinny! Not so. I read most of this book twice because I had to—I’m glad I did, though, as I feel like I have a much deeper understanding of it as a result.

My first reaction to it was, like a few others in the class, utter confusion. The first section is especially difficult, I think, because it certainly takes a few pages to get used to Aquin’s writing style. It can be really difficult to unpack—it’s filled with metaphor and obscure (to me, at first) references, not to mention his rambling, poetic style which is almost like free verse at times.

(An example: “The deeper I sink into disenchantment, the more I discover the arid soil where for years I thought I saw a mythical vegetation spring up, a true hallucinatory debauchery, a flowering of falsehood and style to mask a plain that had been close-cropped, shattered, burned by the sun of lucidity and boredom: myself! Now the truth won’t let me seed it with a forest of calyxes. My own face, unveiled once and for all, terrifies me.”)

I highlighted this passage (pg.8) on my first read through because I didn’t quite get it. (Even now I’m taken aback by reading it.) After reading the first section through I thought it would be an autobiography of a patient in a mental hospital—it certainly could be! But then Aquin throws us a curveball and the story goes off in a whole different direction! Truly confusing, but amazing once you put the pieces together. I really had to work for this one, and I think the amount of work that any reader puts into this text will be directly proportional to what they get out of it, how much they enjoy it.

One last point, something I remember touching on in class discussion—Desafinado, the bossa nova classic that seems to be intrinsically linked with K, was written by Antonio Carlos Jobim. I wanted to find a good English translation of the lyrics (originally in Portuguese) to share with the class. The song has been recorded so many times (by Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Joao Gilberto, and even George Michael) with lyrics having been changed a few times, so it's difficult. Here’s the English translation that I like best, though I think it’s worth mentioning that the song should really be heard (at least for the first time) in Portuguese.

“Desafinado” (“Slightly out of Tune,” or “Off-key”)

If you say my singing is off key, my love
You would hurt my feelings, don't you see, my love
I wish I had an ear like yours, a voice that would behave
All I have is feeling and the voice God gave
You insist my music goes against the rules
Yes, but rules were never made for lovesick fools
I wrote this song for you don't care
It's a crooked song, ah, but my heart is there
The thing that you would see if you would play the part
Is even if I'm out of tune I have a gentle heart
I took your picture with my trusty Rolleiflex
And now all I have developed is complex

Possibly in vain, I hope you weaken, oh my love
And forget those rigid rules that undermine my dream of
A life of love and music with someone who'll understand
That even though I may be out of tune when I attempt to say
How much I love you all that matters is the message that I bring,
Which is, my dear, I love you

Ah! I can't figure out how to get line/paragraph breaks into my posts like everyone else!! Frustrating.

Coming into the book after the first discussion I was ready to be lost and confused for the whole book. however, when I sat down and readied myself for a daunting and irritating read I found my self pleasantly surprised by the easy with which I immersed myself in the book. My first read took slightly under 2 hrs as I felt compelled by each line to push on, half way through I was uncontrollably reading over 2 pages a minute and finding myself jumping back and forth between narrators before I even understood what the previous one had just laid out for me. The writing just pulled me in and I just got more and more interested as the book went on. Having spent time in Europe and Canada I was familiar enough with names to at least keep track of the countries that the story took me to and with a bit of insight into the FLQ I was able to keep from getting totally lost. The writing grabbed my attention because it read like I would right on a free writing session, everything seemed to be hurriedly thrown in yet it had a clear flow and purpose, albeit broken up between 3 narrators, that struck a chord in me. The writing was unlike any of the other books in the course or that I have ready in a long time and because of that I really enjoyed the change in pace.