Book Review: 23 Minutes by Aleksandr Jarid
Previously, The Book Network has been in conversation with Aleksandr Jarid about his novel Fateful Hope, and has also discussed his more recent book, Sunflower. Whatever the theme of his novels, they always combine interesting characters with engaging stories and plenty of food for thought. Jarid is a passionate advocate for mental health awareness and therefore spares no expense going into great depth with his characters and their life experience. Readers are promised a deep dive into the human psyche every time they pick up one of Jarid’s books, and his recent novel 23 Minutes is no exception. Though this time, there is a twist…
23 Minutes is the most experimental release from Aleksandr Jarid to date. It consists of a conversation between two mysterious figures in a room with a tape recorder, and that’s pretty much the story. The subject being interviewed is significantly older than his interviewer, and is present to give an account of his life experience, the reason for which isn’t revealed until the end of the novel. But here’s the catch: With the exception of a small segue halfway in, the book is composed entirely of dialogue and nothing else. Only through the back-and-forth exchange between the two main characters does the story unfold, and the secrets held by the interviewee are revealed in a highly detailed and vivid manner.
Aleksandr Jarid uses this project to portray a potent and eventful life experience through the eyes of one person, allowing the main character to narrate the events in a biographical fashion where detail and strong visualisation is present throughout, but the story is neatly woven and easily digestible for the reader. We are taken across various locations during various time frames, from a peaceful fishing village in Malta to a formidable Chinese corporate entity, and several more in between, all presented in a linear and enthralling timeline where the culmination remains secret until the end. One might find themselves journeying through this book a little quicker than some of Jarid’s other novels, such is the nature of the writing in 23 Minutes. But they are guaranteed to feel no less satiated after the experience.
This consistent format (halted briefly by a mid-novel ‘intermission’ - though you’ll have to read the book to find out more about that) actually serves to create a rather compelling mystery. The whole book is something of an enigma, a structure built from smaller tales, anecdotes and philosophical observations which gradually increase in intensity across each passing chapter. Sometimes the life of the interviewee is amusing and pleasant, but a lot of the time his experience is of loss and tragedy, the nature of which unfolds as the reader goes deeper into the book. Interesting also is the pragmatic way that this character recalls his accounts, thus creating a fascinating juxtaposition between the sombre nature of his stories and the optimistic tone of his narrative.
Though one might think that a book composed entirely of a conversation between two people might be exhausting to read, it actually flows really well. As 23 Minutes prides itself on its three-dimensional characters, it’s no surprise to learn that our narrators don’t always get along. Sometimes the exchanges are heated and other times they are jovial, but there is a continuous sense of humanity between the subjects which lights a fire under the narrative, adding extra gravitas to the chain of events depicted. For this reason, Aleksandr’s experiment of creating a dialogue-based story resonates as a successful one.
As mentioned above, there is a very strong theme of mental health and the human condition running throughout this book. Aleksandr doesn’t shy away from the rawer elements of life experience, and the complex states of mind which arise from it. Similar to his Sunflower novel, the main character in 23 Minutes is a product of his childhood, and as a result, far from a model citizen. Jarid goes to great lengths to describe the intricate internal dialogue that exists within each of us at some level, but differs from person to person depending on upbringing, where one ends up and everything that happens in between. It’s a fascinating delve for the reader to go this deep into the psyche of the written subject, particularly when the writer illustrates that much of a person’s mental ailments exist through no fault of their own, more so from an instinctive coping method built against whatever life throws at them. Through this, readers are able to obtain a great level of empathy for the character that only strengthens with each passing chapter.
23 Minutes is ultimately an experiment, but one that makes for an extremely fun read. The dialogue prose is an entertaining way to tell this particular story and one which consistently mixes drama, insight, suspense, excitement and heart. Through pushing narrative structure outside of normal conventions, Aleksandr Jarid allows a deeper insight into the turbulent reaches of the human psyche. The richness of the world that these characters inhabit and the clarity with which Jarid writes means that this book is as fascinating as it is enthralling, and possibly the most triumphant novel he has penned to date. If you want mystery and drama, packaged in a highly enjoyable and fast-paced format, then this is a novel you should definitely not sleep on.
You can order your copy of 23 Minutes from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Kobo. To discover other titles from Alexsandr Jarid and learn more about the author, visit his website.
