Randomramblings

The human mind has a natural tendency to group things. By grouping several items the mind creates the group and its items are thus more easily remembered and recalled. I suppose this is linked with the rather common human tendency to create pairs. A man and a woman seen together will be instantly declared a couple. Especially if they're young, successful and friends. And beautiful. (People who aren't considered beautiful are rarely thought to have relationships. It's a downright stupid conclusion, but there you have it.)

One cannot be blamed if his mind jumps to such conclusions. Because we are - from the moment we enter the world of books and films - constantly fed the same formula: we get to know the hero and heroine early on and from the moment they meet we know they're going to end up having an affair; possibly even marrying and having children. And live happily ever after. We are constantly forced to make and accept such endings even though they make us puke. As romance nowadays seems to be a necessary part of almost every movie.

Take Matrix, parts 2 and 3 for example. I liked the first movie, but thought the sequels were a bit over the top. Why on Earth should Neo have a romance with Trinity? Does it make him more apt at saving the world? Is it a necessary feature for the One? Or is it just so you could take your girlfriend to watch the movie, too? For whoever's sake - he's trying to save the world and yet he cannot help himself - he shags Trinity whenever he gets the chance. Is it with the knowledge that the world he knows is coming to an end? Is his seeking love a testament of his inner extentialist fights? Does the knowledge of being the One make him very lonely and isolated and he tries to connect himself to the world through Trinity? Whatever it is - it was not explained in the film and it certainly should be, because it took up a hell lot of time, when the Wachowski brothers could be explaining some more about this strange underground world. But I must end here if I don't want to be flamed in the commentary section.

Next example is the book I'm currently reading: The Smoke Jumper by Nicholas Evans. He has successfully reproduced almost the whole "romance" storyline in his first novel, The Horse Whisperer and has gone on to do it again in The Smoke Jumper. I'm almost halfway through the book now and Evans' fascination with the great outdoors, the mountain scenery and extensive woods is nothing short of obvious. And it's also obvious that he thinks the cowboy, the introvert and the one secretly in love should get the girl.

What's also interesting to note is that the woman in the novel, Julia, is always described as beautiful. Surely, just to be honest and realistic the writer does sometimes refer to her as being funny, witty and smart. But most of the time what really matters (the reason men notice her) is her beauty. She meets and later marries Ed, but falls in love with Ed's friend Connor even before she gets married. Now despite Julia being such a wonder woman she never musters the strength to leave Ed and be honest to himself or herself, for that matter. She just accepts Ed's marriage proposal saying that she had no idea Connor was already in love with her. (Funny, how the ones secretly in love never see these things when everybody around them, including the reader do.)

Many years later Connor has become a photographer and travels around the globe so as to avoid the painful sight of Julia and Ed's felicity in marriage. But the Fate has a most unexpected turn of tide in up her sleeve. Ed dies from a heart attack and the path to Julia's and Connor's happiness is finally in sight. Many pages are devoted to Connor's travels to the most dangerous parts of the planet to photograph world's wars and natural disasters. Of course, Connor is "reckless of a life he no longer wants and dares death to take him over and over again" (or so the author says) but really he is just competing with Ed on a more metaphorical level - he goes around the world, climbing the highest mountains, swimming the longest rivers to prove Julia what he's ready to do to get her.

And of course when they finally get together Julia instantly gets pregnant and they live happily ever after. That Julia will have (another) Connor's child is obvious from the moment the she and Ed ask Connor to be surrogate father to their child because Ed is sterile.

The plot is entirely predictable and full of emotions that are inadequately described and therefore appear faked and surreal. The characters don't really live and seem incapable of any other action than taking the obvious route their lives should take. I just wonder how this book could be a New York Times bestseller. Don't get me wrong - it's well written and sometimes funny and manages a wonderful epic view of the burning mountain forests. But otherwise and for the above stated reasons it's not worth your time.

I'll finish the book, but won't reread it. Too bad that the bestselling authors have to reproduce the same formula (in the plot) for the book to sell well.