My Attempt at Reading Ship of Theseus

Before I get on with my fan girl rant, here's the blurb for those who have not heard about this social experiment:

"One book. Two readers. A world of mystery, menace, and desire.

A young woman picks up a book left behind by a stranger. Inside it are his margin notes, which reveal a reader entranced by the story and by its mysterious author. She responds with notes of her own, leaving the book for the stranger, and so begins an unlikely conversation that plunges them both into the unknown.

The book: Ship of Theseus, the final novel by a prolific but enigmatic writer named V.M. Straka, in which a man with no past is shanghaied onto a strange ship with a monstrous crew and launched onto a disorienting and perilous journey.

The writer: Straka, the incendiary and secretive subject of one of the world’s greatest mysteries, a revolutionary about whom the world knows nothing apart from the words he wrote and the rumors that swirl around him.

The readers: Jennifer and Eric, a college senior and a disgraced grad student, both facing crucial decisions about who they are, who they might become, and how much they’re willing to trust another person with their passions, hurts, and fears."

I don’t remember the last time I was so excited about opening a flipkart package, even though it was just a book. I heard about S. about a month ago on Colbert Report. It was not  not so much a novel as it is--something else? A project, maybe?  Whenever I used to get a second-hand text book in undergrad with notes filled in the margin, I used to think that this was a time capsule, telling me how the campus was 20 odd years ago. I was in love with that idea, my mind went into an overdrive as to how this can actually be executed. How do we read the notes? Would those be chronological? I am sure no one leaves a note like that, so there would be several timelines running in parallel. It was like opening the pandora's box. I wanted to read it right then (these days I am used to getting my book within 5 minutes of reading about it, thank you Mobilism!). I tried downloading the book a few times but couldn't find it anywhere.

After a week of not getting anywhere with the mobi version I decided that enough was enough I was buying the hard-copy. It cost me a pretty penny but the moment I opened the formidable book package, I was overwhelmed. After removing the shrink-wrap, I found a book holster, inside of which is the novel, Ship of Theseus by V.M. Straka.The pages are weathered and browned, it even has that musty library old-book smell. Flipping through the pages, I noticed that they all have seemingly handwritten notes in the margins, a dialogue between two students passing the book back and forth. Then, there are clippings, postcards and other assorted accouterments scattered about, physically wedged in between pages. Finally, while reading the introduction to Ship of Theseus, it becomes clear that these students are caught in the mystery of the book’s author, one that has supposedly daunted scholars for decades. Also, it says that this is a romance, a romance in the margins :)

I dint know how to start reading this book. Should I read the original and get back to the comments? But how can I not react to the hand written notes and keep reading the story? What if I missed something important because I dint read those records in the margins? I couldn't take it anymore so I googled it. Even Google dint help me out here :/

I am currently going chapter by chapter, original story, notes and then the extras. I am at chapter 3 and it took me almost two hours to get there. I am never under this much pressure while reading a book. I am the master of power reading and this book is written just to torture me.

But, I am happy to be reading paperbacks, I forgot how good the tactile feelings associated with reading that I take for granted these days. And the best part is that this book cannot be read on an e-reader. This is an experience and you cannot enjoy it unless you have a book in hand with all the extra clues laid out for easy access. This is just what I needed to start a new year.

P.S. I will come back and finish this post once I am done reading. For now this is me going gaga about the book and CANT STOP TALKING ABOUT IT (shouty caps show more emotion :D)

Update: I am half way through the book. I gave up the chapter and notes method. It was driving me crazy. It was like having a book club meeting in the middle of reading a book. I dint want the notes to point out the puns I might have missed or the connections I haven't made. I read because I love connecting the dots myself, I may be a bit slow but I will get there eventually. It felt like Eric and Jenny were pushing me to get the drift. So, now I am going to read the actual text (not the notes) like any normal novel. I am not looking at the notes even though its killing me.