Shikasta, by Doris Lessing

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Shikasta is, I believe, what is called a "novel of ideas." Its full title is Shikasta : re, colonised planet 5 : personal, psychological, historical documents relating to visit by Johor (George Sherban) emissary (grade 9) 87th of the period of the last days. Doris Lessing is a very well-regarded author and a recent Nobel laureate. According to Wikipedia, her forays into science fiction, beginning with Shikasta, were considered somewhat daring.

The basic concept of Shikasta is this: a certain planet (I'll allow the reader to guess which one) was colonized long ago by benevolent aliens. They created a utopian society where everyone lived in perfect harmony. However, a problem with the cosmic alignment of certain stars, which Lessing never seems to tire of pointing out, is indeed a "dis-aster," cuts Earth (oops, I spilled the beans) off from its protectors. A rival alien society begins to influence the planet. This one is not so benevolent, and is instead bent on sucking everything good and wholesome out of the planet to feed its own sick growth.

Its an interesting conceit, with some potential. Lessing uses it to explore the inhumanity of man to man. Unfortunately, she does so in an almost entirely bloodless fashion. Her writing is fussy, repetitive, and overwrought. She never develops any characters worth caring about; the only coherent plot appears in the last quarter of the novel. The rest of the book (and most of the last quarter) is essentially a nag-fest. The book does not reflect any genuine sorrow about the human condition. It is the writing of a person who has brooded too long and is very, very bitter.

Shikasta is probably the most cynical book I have ever read. In one short section, Lessing, in the guise of her alien narrator, grudgingly admits the remarkable capacity for humans to make the best of what they have. The rest of the book is a guilt trip; an endless banging on about the awfulness of every person. It's an unsubtle, unsatisfying mess.

The best writing, like the best cooking, is subtle. Lessing seems to be one of those authors who has very little faith in her readers, and feels that everything must be explicitly stated. It is too bad; with a little less bitterness, and a little more credit to the reader, Shikasta could have been an excellent novel. Instead, I was glad to be done with it.

I admit, this is not the best review to start out a blog called The Best of the Library. Generally, I'll stick to books that I would recommend you read. But it's also worth knowing what not to read, especially when it's well-regarded. Shikasta is the sort of well-regarded writing that I believe will fade with time. Lessing may have captured the zeitgeist when she wrote it, and she surely got some deserved credit for writing serious fiction in an (unfairly) lightly regarded genre. Unfortunately, Shikasta does not, to me, have a great deal of intrinsic merit. Check out my recommendations above for some better options.