The evolutionist at large Book

O Wrath, your tang is surely the most spicy and pungent of all the Seven Deadly Sins! your flavor is compelling, so exciting and satisfying... it gives purpose and heat and righteousness all at once. never mind the taste of ashes left in the mouth after the meal is over; that is soon forgotten in the yearning to again consume the dish and recapture its flavor once more.

As Meat Loves Salt is many things: a thrilling historical novel of the 17th century English revolution; a darkly-hued psychodrama about a man and his demons; a story about another man, idealistic, born before his time and bound to suffer for it; a tragic tale of best laid plans gone awry and dreams ground to dust; a book detailing the horrors of violence; a passionate romance.

the historical context and the details of living in that era are meticulous and vividly depicted - but they never overwhelm the narrative. "you are there" as the cliche goes, but this is not an intensely immersive experience. ignore the nonsensical description on the back cover that goes on about the food and decor and clothing described within - that is barely present in any way other than to set a scene. details never take over the plot and never overshadow the themes. enough description is given to allow the reader to feel how the surroundings actually feel. overall the key word is not "lush" - it is "stark."

the prose is amazing.

warning: there are two devastating rape scenes in this book.

the anti-hero of As Meat Loves Salt is beautifully rendered. Jacob Cullen runs hot and when his flames aren't high, he smolders. he's both monster and man, lover and rapist, hero and killer; he's many things. a man who has only the bitterest contempt for the mechanized quality of a life of service, who chafes at the class system, and views his fellow humans with thinly veiled suspicion. violence comes all too easily to him; he is a man consumed by wrath, always ready when opportunity arises to indulge in that vice. it is curious to read reviewer responses to this character because many seem to hold him at a distance, to view him as an Other, to talk about him in terms of his villainy or his potential schizophrenia. I had a different experience in that I saw a lot of him within me. I've experienced the same unreasonable and foolish jealousies, the same vindictive pettiness, the same lack of faith in both structures and individuals, the same urge to do violence on those who annoy or offend me. I think many men and not a few women have felt the same. and I've certainly felt his yearnings for perfect companionship, his stumblings towards some inchoate spirituality, his deep attraction to a person he has deemed as "good", his core of neediness that his pride has transformed into a thorny barrier that warns Beware rather than beckoning Come Hither. Jacob Cullen, I totally get you.

the love of Jacob's life, Christopher Ferris, is also perfectly rendered. he's certainly worthy of a swoon. Ferris' innate goodness, his idealism and kindness and sunny demeanor, his desire to create a society that is fair and equal, his hatred of injustice and how he dismisses both hoary institutions and "inspiring" politicians in all of their many guises, his contempt for violence and possessiveness... all of that fit hand-in-glove with his less attractive qualities - condescension and high-handedness, a transparent sort of trickiness, a tendency to overindulge in alcohol, an optimism that veers into thoughtlessness and, finally, a willful blindness to reality.

McCann adroitly contextualizes Jacob and Ferris's relationship and their very different personalities within all of the changes happening during this particular revolution. the desire to throw off the yoke of class and gender barriers; the basic need for freedom. but even more than a contextualization, their relationship and their personalities both comment on and personify those things - and how those things often end in terrible failure. but whether such people and endeavors eventually fail or not, that chafing at the bit is a key part of the human condition. such things often leads to ugliness and violence, but such is life.In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage.

- John Steinbecksweet Jesus, that ending. so hard and true and sad. so full of unanswered questions. the ending of As Meat Loves Salt is a good reminder of why and how a truly excellent book can be so rewarding and fulfilling yet also be so tough and draining and heartbreaking. an experience to remember and to learn from, but perhaps not one to repeat.