Book review of The Signature of All Things

The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Only Elizabeth Gilbert, whose success allows her to do pretty much whatever she wishes, could have gotten away with publishing such an epic, ponderous work. Lucky for us that she has this kind of clout.

What makes this novel so, well, novel, is its artful blending of writing styles. Somehow, Gilbert has updated classic Russian literature by writing a contemporary plot with a Victorian quill pen. Whenever one metaphor would do, Gilbert gives us three, the net effect of which is to leave other authors standing in the midst of a smoking, bombed-out, post-nuclear figure-of-speech landscape.

Drawing rooms, pristine forests, sea voyages around the world, and life on several continents are backdrops as characters debate the meaning of life, the folly of human relationships, and the delicate interplay between science and spirituality. I heard Gilbert's own voice as she wrestled to place all possible answers along a continuum, and I was inspired to refine the articulation of my personal philosophies.

This is a book that demands a significant investment of time. For me, this investment was repaid with interest when I arrived at the ending. Here, Gilbert performs a perfect 10.0 dismount with some of the most perfectly pitched passages I have ever read.

In psychology, there is something known as the Zeigarnik Effect. Inconclusive thoughts fester in our minds because we struggle to close the loop, understand that which was undefined, complete the idea, solve the riddle. In writing a Zeigarnik ending, Gilbert ensures that the inquiry continues long after we close the back cover of THE SIGNATURE OF ALL THINGS.

(I listened to the audio recording, which is performed magnificently by Juliet Stevenson.)


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