Asterios Polyp is a high-concept architect who has never seen one of his blueprints actually constructed. He views the world through the rigid lens of duality, categorizing life into binary opposites like Apollo versus Dionysus or form versus function. After lightning strikes his Manhattan apartment, he flees to a small town in Pennsylvania to work as an auto mechanic. The story uses visual metaphors and varying artistic styles to contrast his past marriage to the sculptor Hana with his present attempt at a simpler, singular existence.
Graphic design enthusiasts and students of philosophy read this book to see how visual abstractions can represent complex mental states. The narrative demonstrates how theoretical intellectualism often fails when confronted with the chaos of human relationships. A reader walks away with a technical understanding of how color palettes and line weights convey character psychology. They see a literal demonstration of how one man’s internal aesthetic framework disintegrates and evolves after a personal collapse forces him to abandon his self-imposed symmetrical worldview.
Deep and thought-provoking; a moderate read.
Best for readers like The Deep Diver. Which reader are you?
- Published
- 2009
- Language
- EN
