'Working Knowledge' - Petr Kral
Dear, oh dear. I was sent this book as a freebie to review, and I have to say it just didn't do anything for me.
It is essentially a set of essays ranging in length from one sentence to 2 or 3 pages, about all manner of things. Supposedly, the author is supposed to find hidden meaning in all sorts of inanimate objects and common situations. However, my view is that the meanings he found were not hidden; they just didn't exist in the first place. For example, I really can't find too much about an ashtray that is worth waxing lyrical about. Revolving doors are just not that awe inspiring to me.
I will say that the writing is elegant, although the translation sometimes left a bit to be desired. A couple of the essays even had an element of truth in them - mainly the ones where the author describes any sort of interaction with other people. But for the most part, Kral attaches such significance and meaning to so many objects that are just not worthy of it that I got bored and irritated while reading.
It was a relief to finish this (and if it wasn't for the fact that I hate giving up on books, I would have given up on it very early on) - I won't be seeking out any more books by this author.
