Sunday, April 08, 2007

The Return of Philip Latinowicz - post III

Things start to unravel for Philip and you start to sense that the book is starting to build towards some moment. It is hard to predict what that climax will be with Philip seemingly disintegrating it might well be into violence or it could be a reaction against the mediocrity of life and an explosion into brilliance. That will have to come in the final forty pages.

Bullet points between pages 154 – 196

* Philip is on the brink you feel of a relationship with Bobocka, the woman he has been seen with at the party and on an almost daily basis where she works, and as they walk through the woods he gets incredibly passionate about painting

* He sketches out mentally a composition that is centred on a Jesus Christ that is powerful, angry and taking the fight to the bar lizards and market traders that scorn his name and to add to the dramatic picture a summer thunder storm starts

* But the passion is never recaptured and instead a mysterious figure from Bobocka’s past turns up and as an expert in philosophy the stranger, Kiralyes, is able to mentally strip Philip down to a stammering fool and undermine everything he believes in

* Even his love of painting is attacked and despite the negative impact on his mental stats Philip continues to seek out Bobocka and as a consequence Kiralyes even though he knows it will do him harm

The question is how long will Philips stomach the insults and will it really undermine his belief in painting?