The Day of Creation
Author: J.G. Ballard
Genre: The Day of Creation
Year: 1987
Rating: 8 of 10
Ballard is by far one of my favorite authors, and while this book was my least favorite of his novels that I have read so far, it was still an amazing and challenging book. While many of his novels focus of the deterioration of urban environments this one takes place in the deserts of Africa during a disastrous irrigation project. Thematically this book felt like a hybrid between Heart of Darkness and Lolita, so it probably goes without saying that it was a dark story. Most of the Ballard novels that I have read have been on the dark side but feel as though they expose some deeper, reluctant truths about humanity. Ballard is the master of cognitive dissonance and this book is no exception – he often has me routing for things that I find appalling, without being sure how he got me there. I find that no matter what he is writing about his prose style is eloquent and shocking, unusually succinct and often times cold. Day of Creation reads like a fever while still making sense, allowing the reader to experience the mental collapse of the characters. This feverishness is a difficult thing to accomplish and brings to mind some other great novels such as Ana Kavan’s Ice and Katherine Dunn’s Attic. I recommend reading this one but if you haven’t read Ballard yet I probably wouldn’t start with this here. If you’re new to Ballard do yourself a favor and pick up Concrete Island.
Purchase: Buy!