Mysteries of Pittsburgh: A Novel (P.S.)
by Michael Chabon
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Book Summary Information
Author: Michael ChabonEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2005-07-05
ISBN: 0060790598
Number of pages: 320
Publisher: Harper Perennial
Book Reviews of Mysteries of Pittsburgh: A Novel (P.S.)
Book Review: Shedding A Little Light On The Mysteries
Summary: 3 Stars
Shedding A Little Light On The Mysteries ... In the summer of 1991, on August 18th, at the SEEDS OF SOUND (Rock Mount Trashmore!) Ecology Benefit Concert held in Lowell, Massachusetts by the banks of the Merrimack River, a trio up on stage by the name of The Croutons performed three songs, all by The Grateful Dead: China Cat Sunflower, Scarlet Begonias, and Franklin's Tower. Who would have known back then that this performance would have been so prophetic? ... There are a lot of `Cloud Factory' towers in the city of Lowell, MA - home of capitalist, industrial revolution in the western hemisphere, and now an urban national park full of renovated mills with giant smokestacks sticking up into the sky along the horizon line (See the movie: The Invention of Lying!).
Michael Chabon is a hugely successful and talented writer. This is a fact, as well as an undeniable certainty. The author himself, humbly, attributes his success to innate talent, disciplined hard work, and a little luck. If only all creative people with such gifted talent were as diligent as he in their artistic pursuits! The real Claire in The Mysteries of Pittsburgh once said to me that it was actually she who taught Michael Chabon how to write, being a year older than him. I find this hard to believe after having read this book and seen this movie adaptation of it. Having also seen (but not read) Wonder Boys, I am absolutely certain that Michael Chabon's gifts as writer were innate and formidable, and if anything, the real Claire (a fellow, mutable, communicative Gemini like himself) only may have had a helping hand as a literary midwife in encouraging his unique and original literary talent. If so, that was a good thing.
This book has a passage in it on pages 77 and 78 that is referenced, tangentially, in the movie and which is all about alcoholics. It says: "In my innocent cynicism I didn't see that Cleveland was not trying to look tough; he just didn't care. Which is to say, he knew what he was, and was, if not content with, at least resigned to knowing that he was an alcoholic. And an alcoholic is nothing if not sensitive to the proper time and place for his next drink; his death is one of the most carefully planned and prepared for events in the world. Cleveland simply foresaw his imminent need for another beer." ... WO! ... I mean, how old was Michael Chabon when he wrote this passage, 24, 25? For a 24 or 25 year old, first time novelist to come up with such a profoundly insightful line is the work of pure genius at best, and at worst, shows incredible insight into the psyche of alcoholics. It's possible that the real Cleveland (also a friend of the real Claire) may have actually verbalized this characteristic to Michael when they were buddies together at Carnegie-Mellon, or that Michael came to this conclusion about alcoholics on his own by simply observing their habits and missteps. Who can say for sure? Nevertheless, not only is this passage one of the most profound in the book, it is one of the most profound passages I have ever read in any book - fiction or school tectbook. It shows great understanding of the psychology of alcoholism from a perspective that is unusually and keenly insightful. Even sociology and criminology (after all, suicide is technically a felony and a serious crime) text books in college do not get this deep into the behavior of substance abusers. ... Also, how prophetic in regards to the actual death of the real Cleveland, who was a serious alcoholic found dead in his bedroom in Pittsburgh, circa 2001, with an empty bottle of vodka on the floor, an empty bottle of pills on the floor, and a picture of the real Claire by his bedside. I mean, the whole thing blows the mind!
Is it possible that the real Cleveland, who was heterosexual (unlike he is depicted in the movie), was influenced by what he had read in Michael Chabon's `fictitious' (Kerouacian) book about what he and all of his friends in Pittsburg had experienced while living on or near Squirrel Hill and the Polish section of the city where Andy Warhol had lived at one time? Maybe? Ya think? I wonder if Michael Chabon himself has ever given a thought to this? I mean, the prophetic nature of it all is astounding! I was one of the first people to watch this movie when it came out on DVD, having just recently read the book a week before for the first time in order to prepare myself for the movie. Also, I just recently purchased, in hardcover, Michael Chabon's latest book - his first book of non fiction - entitled, Manhood for Amateurs: The Pleasures and Regrets of a Husband, Father, and Son, and I wonder if he mentions in there anything about this and the death of the real Cleveland. The real Cleveland, obviously, is the hero and major character of this book and this movie - and rightly so. He had a larger than life personality, in a way, and from everything I've been told was quite a charming, humorous, and interesting character with a great gift for conversation. The real Cleveland did go out to the family bungalow on the lake in order to get away from it all. The real Cleveland had a father who was gay, and a mother who killed herself. The real Cleveland supplied a lot of literary fodder for Michael Chabon's first novel.
As for the real Claire, she really does love Joni Mitchell and the films of Franco Zeffirelli (who is gay as well as a devout Catholic). She really does love Romeo and Juliet, Brother Sun - Sister Moon, and Jesus of Nazareth, and she really does idolize John and Yoko, The Beatles, Saint Francis and Claire (where the name comes from, obviously!), and Jesus and Mary Magdeline. That Michael Chabon makes reference to some of this in his book is quite revealing. I have seen, with my own eyes, the actual record albums he mentions in the novel! What he does not mention is that the real Art's real father took the real Claire out to one of the fancy restaurants in the movie, and told her she was to no longer have anything to do with his son, and that he was taking his son out of Carnegie-Mellon and enrolling him, instead - away from her - into the University of Pittsburgh. This was done, according to the book, because she suffered from "dementia praecox" (page 10), but according to the real Claire, she was told that it was done because she was Catholic and Michael was Jewish. It is true that all of Michael's books seem to heavily reflect themes of Jewish culture, that he married and has children with a Jewish woman (just like his father wanted him to), and he is involved in the Peace Now movement in Israel (a very good thing, indeed.) So, did the real Art in the movie and in the book break away from the influence of his father, or did he voluntarily embrace that agenda? Only Michael Chabon himself knows the answers to all thse questions.
Another confusing aspect to the book as well as the movie that needs to be cleared up is the relationship between Art and Arthur Lecompte. The real Arthur Lecompte is gay, and not bisexual, and the real Arthur Lecompte was also a friend of the real Claire's and the real Cleveland's. The movie combines the characters or Arthur and Cleveland into one person. Also, the book and the movie seem to bifurcate the real character of Claire into two different people. Whether or not there is a real Phlox Lombardi and a real Jane Bellwether, I do not know. But I do know this: the two characters of Phlox and Jane are totally and respectfully representative of the two sides of the complex character of the real Claire. It's almost as if Michael Chabon, the clever writer that he is, bifurcated the realClaire into two different characters: one, the negative, suspicious, controlling, jealous, dominating, violent Phlox, and the other, the positive, trusting, fun loving, adventurous, tolerant, musical, charming Jane. I mean, it's uncanny! The fact that Art had a sexual affair with Arthur was traumatic to the real Claire.
The book reads like a recent college graduate's fond memories of his college experiences with all of his friends. He pays tribute to and honors their memories. But it is more than an introspective reflection on the past. As a novel of `fiction,' it really works well as a work of literary art. The movie, on the other hand, does not work as well as the book. If you love the book, you may not love the movie. If you've never read the book, you actually might like the movie more. The cinematography is excellent, and it shows Pittsburgh in a nice light. As a screenplay, it's not the greatest. But it does entertain and expose the decadent and nihilistic eighties in a way that hits home. The ending is tragic - in the book, the movie, and as well as real life. ... "In Franklin's Tower, there hangs a bell..." - YOWZA! - George Koumantzelis / The Aeolian Kid
Summary of Mysteries of Pittsburgh: A Novel (P.S.)
By the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay
This P.S. edition features an extra 16 pages of insights into the book, including author interviews, recommended reading, and more.United States Books
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