A Box of Matches

A Box of Matches
Nicholson Baker,
Publisher: Vintage
ISBN: 0375706038 DDC: 813 Edition: Paperback; 2004-03-09

Summary:

One man's simple, colloquial meditations on his past, his family, and
his life's daily minutia are the substance of Nicholson Baker's A Box
of Matches. Feeling that life is passing him by, Emmett, a
middle-aged medical textbook editor, decides to wake up early each
day to sit by a fire in his country house and record his thoughts in
a diary. "Good morning," Emmett begins, "it's January and its 4:17
a.m., and I'm going to sit here in the dark." From this vantage
point, Emmett reflects stream-of-consciousness style on whatever
occurs to him, no matter how mundane: his recent trip to Home Depot,
how he met his wife, the habits of the family duck. Routines, such as
how he makes his morning coffee in the dark or picks up his underwear
with his toes, are described with childlike reverence and directness.
All told, nothing much happens in A Box of Matches, which seems to be
the point. Baker is more interested in the idea that for many, life
is made up of such apparent trivialities, and that only by pausing to
appreciate them can anyone gain any lasting satisfaction. Baker
emphasizes this through the moments of understated wisdom and joy
that Emmett derives from ordinary occurrences, such as the daylight
through the window: "a simple light that goes everywhere but with no
heat, aware that it is taken for granted and content to be so." This
is the philosophical equivalent of a one-joke premise, however, and
there are moments when Emmett's naiveté and laundry list-like
narrative wear thin. Likely understanding this, Baker has wisely kept
things short. A curious, often charming novel, A Box of Matches will
inspire some readers, while inspiring frustration in others. --Ross
Doll

Classification:

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Dewey Class: 813 -- Fiction

Book Details:

Physical Description: 192 pages
Edition Info: Paperback; 2004-03-09

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