The Man Who Saw Everything

I read this while on the flight home from a long visit to Berlin, so the territory and the history of what is addressed in the novel was familiar to me, and yet so much of it surprises–from the warped sense of time and memory, the similarly warped sense of beauty and love, to the erratic thought process of the book's main character, Saul Adler. I don't think the book is perfect and I don't think Levy gets the character of Saul quite right. Nonetheless, it provided excellent distraction on a long flight.

This book was weird and surreal and utterly entrancing. It drew me in and held me. I'm a fast reader, but this made me slow down to read every word and really take it in. I would have loved a little more character development but I understand why it played out the way it did.

My first Levy - loved it

I was frightened of everything in the past and whatever was going to happen next.

3.5 stars
This review can also be found on my blog.

This is a short novel that packs quite a punch. The first half feels slow, and a little strange at times, but everything is suddenly turned on its head in the second half. There is so much going on and yet it never seems like too much for the page count. A lot of the writing is very simplistic, which I think works. Had it been more complex, I think it would have been easy to get lost in. It's hard for me to say much about this without spoilers, but I do think this was quite a worthwhile read although I was left wanting. Not a new favorite, but I can see why this has been so highly lauded and perhaps worth an eventual reread to see if that ties things together a bit better.

content warnings: domestic abuse; nazi mentions; homophobia.

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Is The Man Who Saw Everything about a young man who nearly gets run over by a car?
Is The Man Who Saw Everything about a Beatles' conspiracy theory?
Is The Man Who Saw Everything about the British withdrawal from the European Union?
Is The Man Who Saw Everything about gender roles?
Is The Man Who Saw Everything about Socialism and the Berlin Wall?
Is The Man Who Saw Everything about an artist's representation of reality?
I don't have an answer to any of these questions. And unless Deborah Levy herself says what The Man Who Saw Everything is about, I'm not sure I'll ever know.

Strangely, it seems possible that all of these theories (and more) could be true. The Man Who Saw Everything is one of those books that only supplies more questions the deeper one looks. In fact, to best understand this book, it may be best to not think at all (though I don't think that would make for as enjoyable a read). Undoubtedly, Levy is playing with perceptions of time and reality in this story. What is established as fact early on grows blurred in later chapters. Reader, you may not know what is going on in this novel.

That may dissuade some readers from reading this novel, and that's probably okay. Some readers will never enjoy a book that doesn't provide clear answers. For those who find thrill in trying to piece everything together (whether or not they ever finish the puzzle) this book is a wild ride and well worth the experience.

It's difficult to say much more about this novel—perhaps I've already said too much. The Man Who Saw Everything is clever and mysterious. It's a stylish novel, even if many of its allusions may be elusive. It's every part entertaining as it is intelligent. Perhaps the puzzle could've been a little easier to solve—personally, I like to feel like I have a solution, even if that answer is wrong—but the pleasure in trying to fit the pieces together still provided considerable entertainment.

Advanced copy received from the publisher through Edelweiss