Mythology, Perception, and Reality--Hari Kunzru-- Gods Without Men

I read Hari Kunzru's remarkable book Gods Without Men last year. I've been meaning to say a little about it for a while but just haven't got around to it until now. This novel is probably the best fictional work I've read in a while. I believe that it was a NY Times notable book from 2012. So I'm sure for a lot of people Gods Without Men is far from being a hidden gem. But I like to write about things that impress me, whether they are obscure or less well-known. Usually, my posts lean toward obscurity, I guess.....

Atop the tallest of earth's peaks dwell the gods of earth, who suffer not man to tell that he hath looked upon them....

I don't really want to give away too much about the book. It would be very unfair.

Something strange going on out in the Desert. For years people are being drawn there. But for what, if anything? Is there something beyond our human knowledge and understanding in this remote area, or is this some sort of illusion imposed on the real world by human consciousness?

While reading Gods Without Men I was reminded of some dialogue from Dostoevsky's Brothers Karamazov, where someone commented that if God did not exist, than man would have to invent him. Looking into it a little more, I'm now finding the quote in the book is a reiteration of a remark originally made by Voltaire.

Gods Without Men to me is in some ways a vehicle to discuss this issue. Not so much about religion but about human nature and how we perceive and process things. How our minds are wired to create a semblance of order even when any order is nonexistent. The novel is expansive however, covering psychology of human relationships, the possible underpinnings of mythology in the real world, popular delusions and the madness of crowds, the Culture of Celebrity. Artificial Intelligence. UFOs. Native American Folklore. And we aren't being enlightened here by an all-knowing narrator with X-ray vision. Kunzru's narrative is a contradictory weave created from the perspectives of numerous people.

Throughout the book I found myself being pulled back and forth, wondering what actually is happening. The tension produced by superb pacing of the narrative is both exhilarating and at times disconcerting. So often, events proceed, and as much as people understand reality, in many cases they are inert actors that can't control the outcomes as the world deteriorates before them. Part of the story exists in the present, but the narrative also goes back to earlier historical eras, which would lead you to believe that there is a pattern recurring. And this adds to the mystery. But certainly the nature of what this pattern may actually be is up for debate. At each point in time the explanations for what is happening are different, based on changing knowledge and cultural mores/conceits of the different eras.

But the beauty of this novel is that the contents are so rich, that I would be more surprised if someone came away with the exact same opinions that I have processed. And I don't think that this is an unintentional outcome. And while the going gets extremely rough for individuals in the novel, optimism seems to persist on some level. I find that there is a great humanistic spirit running throughout this book, despite the many weaknesses and failings of human beings.

Sure, I have read books that are good reads, that are interesting and even astonishing in scope. I might appreciate novelists' inventive use of language, or their ability to create unbelievably imaginative literary frameworks. Gods Without Men, in addition to being a great read, is packed full of philosophical and intellectual digressions. This aspect places the novel to a whole other level of quality.

I found God Without Men to be brilliant. It's a novel that interacts with you, forces you to think about pretty much the nature of everything. Certainly there are people who wouldn't want to bother with a work this challenging, but my view is that Hari Kunzru's writing would be an excellent source of sustenance for your intellect.