Robert's Reviews > This Strange Eventful History

Generally when the Booker novels are made public, I try my hardest not to read reviews, especially ones that are filmed on YouTube, or Booktube as it’s known but the ones for Claire Messud’s This Strange Eventful History could not be avoided and they were all negative, with the word boring being thrown about. The common factor which also united these videos is that all the critics were either millennials or gen z.

The book is a family saga which starts off in 1942 where Gaston Cassar (incidentally it’s a common surname in Malta) is stationed in Salonica while his wife, Lucienne and two children, Francois and Denise move to their native Algeria, due to the German invasion.

Throughout the rest of the book we jump from The States , Argentina, Australia, Canada and France, where the Cassar family go through the trials and tribulations of life: Francois wants a perfect marriage like his parents, his wife Barbara is unsure about their marriage, while their children go through the same motions, even when they reach adulthood with their children. While Gaston and Lucienne experience the pitfalls of old age yet revel in the strength of their love. Denise has mental health problems which strengthen the bond between here and her brother, much to Barbara’s chagrin. As Booker novels are linked This Strange.. also spoke about the futures of some characters briefly, like in the other longlisted novel, Headshot.

As for themes there’s mental health , life, love and death , parent/sibling relationships, religious beliefs, war and colonialism. Historical figures also make guest appearances, notably deconstructionist philosopher, Jacques Derrida, social theorist, Raymond Aron and author Borges.

This Strange Eventful History is old school Booker novel: it is a slow burn which demands your time as the Cassar family tree branches out and events unfold. Which brings me back to the hate by younger generations on YouTube. Is a rich time consuming book considered boring? or is there something wrong with patience levels? there are many memorable moments in the novel from Francois’ Havana adventure to Denise discovering an English- German bookstore in Buenos Aires. This Strange Eventful History also as a backing in reality as the author’s grandfather wrote a family history which Messud consulted. Honestly if someone lambasts a book because it involves time to read it then there is something seriously wrong.