Going into this book, as with any free-form, surrealist-style piece, I was unsure of what to expect. My experiences with experimental style stories has been varied with some big hits and some equally big misses. That being said, Calibration 74 by William F. Aicher solidly hit the mark.
Calibration 74 is a novella that tells the story of an unreliable narrator whose obsession with numbers (and a door) lead him on a surreal journey of self-discovery.
Written in a wordplay filled, stream of consciousness style, reminiscent of Danielewski’s House of Leaves, the tale twists and turns between narrative and poetry to weave a tale that, on its surface feels like a dream-like (though sometimes gritty and dark) journey sprinkled with nods to pop culture and literature. Upon further inspection, however, it reveals a deeper allegory about reconciling past selves with present selves and the disillusionments and struggles faced when one is on the quest to discover deeper meaning.
With a minimalist style, this book is a relatively quick read, despite having a lot of ideas and imagery to chew on. In the best of ways, this book does not hold your hand as it throws you into the obsessive, churning mind of the narrator and the ending leaves room for personal interpretation and reflection.
I found, personally, that Part 1 piqued my interest with the narrator’s musing of number combinations and the smart wordplay (there were parts that read almost like slam poetry that I found myself re-reading aloud) along with the establishment of blurred lines between the narrator’s reality and fantasy. Part 2 jumps into the narrative of the story, where you begin to follow the narrator on his quest to make sense of the things he perceives as clues, pointing him in the direction of the door he’s become obsessed with finding – a door of light, behind which hides truths unknown. By Part 3, I found myself entirely invested and rooting for the narrator as he leaves everything behind, becoming his own Ahab on a relentless pursuit of his white whale.
This book made me laugh out loud at times, scratch my head at others, make note of wonderfully quotable moments, and stay up late into the night, unable to put it down once it had its hooks in me.
If you are a fan of surrealist stories, free-form poetry, or philosophical musings, I believe this book would be a solid addition to your bookshelf!
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
… And then I bought a hardcopy because, honestly, I liked it that much and I want a copy for my bookshelf.
