As I read Mark Haber’s Saint Sebastian’s Abyss I kept finding myself chuckling under my breath at the narration. I’d stop and read amusing passages to my friends around me aloud, sharing in the satirical nature of it all. Haber has managed something here that I wonder if was intentional. The voice our narrator uses is a drummed-up version of the stuck-up art snob. When I first began reading this book, I wondered how on earth over ten separate books could be written by two people, not repeating themselves, or each other, over one small painting. The narrator and Schmidt would probably tell me that I was being primitive and not thinking enough about the true beauty of the painting Saint Sebastian’s Abyss.
However, as I read, I realized I wasn’t so far off base. There’s no possible way those books lacked repetition because the narration is filled with repetition. When I write, I try rather hard to avoid repeating myself too much, as it can come across as dull or just trying to blurt out a word count. Yet, the repetition in Saint Sebastian’s Abyss doesn’t feel dull to me. If anything, it adds extra flavor to the book. We see our narrator’s style of speaking or writing throughout the pages, and we begin to understand just how he rambled on for over five books worth of material about one small painting. I was thoroughly impressed by Haber’s ability to use this repetitive speaking to his advantage without boring me to death.
Another element of this book I truly enjoyed was the narrative style. I’m reminded of my argument against my classmates in my high school freshman-year English class in defense of J.D. Salinger’s Catcher In the Rye. I don’t mean to preach some greater understanding of literature, but I found it frustrating when others didn’t understand Holden’s character wasn’t meant to be liked. I understand the urge for a likable and good protagonist, but I’ve always loved the picture-perfect example of the unreliable narrator Catcher In the Rye portrays. Shooting off of that, the narrator in Saint Sebastian’s Abyss is someone I’m not sure I’d get along with in real life. I know for certain I wouldn’t get along with Schmidt. Still, I enjoyed reading about them.
There’s a certain air of satire to the narrator and Schmidt. They almost feel like caricatures of art fanatics. Yet, I couldn’t help but find their strange mannerisms entertaining. Perhaps that says something about me and how I view the world. Or, perhaps, it says more about Haber.