Speedboat is a book published in 1976 and was newly re-published in 2013. It was the first, full novel written by Renata Adler, who is an accomplished journalist and film critic. Through the book, Adler analyzes the world we live in, through comparing different communities, scenarios, and the very existence of human beings.
The book does not follow the construction of a traditional book. Instead of having a plot that follows though the whole book in a set order, Speedboat consists of many small stories, seemingly not connected in time, date or place, and these stories often leaves the reader disturbed, sad and reflecting. The only connection the stories have to each other are that they are through the eyes and mind of the narrator, Jen Fain.
The main protagonist is not a normal everyday person. When reading between the lines, it is clear that even Jen herself is unsure of her sanity but chooses to act sane: it just isn’t a natural reaction for her. Jen is never described in detail, and neither are the four men that passes through her life. The men are not even given last names; they are all called simple three to four letter names; Jim, Adam, Aldo and Will. They are neither given personality or physical appearances, and the reader does not have any connection to them what-so-ever.
The structure of the book is not comparable to any other novel at the market, neither now or in 1876. The book has a rhythm, and the reader might pick and choose the meaning of the single stories and its complexity as a whole themselves. Adler’s book gives the reader a lot of space to reflect and review though her first, highly successful book.
