Salt - a question for fandom

[andrewducker]

If you've never read Adam Roberts' book "Salt" then you probably want to skip this one...

I really enjoyed the first 2/3 of Salt. While the two opposing political viewpoints were inflated to the point of satire I enjoyed them at that level, total anarchy versus total totalitarian capitalism seen through the alternating opposing viewpoints of their leading espousers.

And then I hit the rape scene.

And what got me wasn't the rape, per se. It's not shown in any great detail, and were it to be an integral part of the plot I'd be fine with it. But it actually seemed, to me, to get in the way of the plot. The book doesn't really stand up as anything except political satire/tract, so I assume that Roberts was trying to say something about anarchy. Except that up to this point the Alsists haven't seemed to engage in wanton rape. Yes, they fight when they're angry, but there's no mention of it being considered ok to rape the women back home. And afterwards he seems not to understand that doing so would cause her to be upset, which leads me to believe that either he's gone stark staring mad at this point, or Roberts is just a bad writer.

Can anyone shed any illumination?

Comments

[sbisson.livejournal.com]

I have to say, I really, really disliked Salt. It just seemed to be a heavy-handed deconstruction of The Disposessed (something that Delany's Triton did so much better).

[andrewducker]

Haven't read The Dispossed (yes, yes, I know). I enjoyed most of it on one level, but the complete lack of ending and the rape scene both spoiled it for me.

[channelpenguin.livejournal.com]

Triton. now there was a fun book that went kind of less so towards the end. Dunno why, just lost me in terms of interest.

Now, 'The Disposessed' WAS good. Must re-read that...

[despotliz.livejournal.com]

I can remember thinking that Salt was one of the better Adam Roberts novels I have read, but I remember very little about it other than it had a good start and a much weaker ending. Given that I thought this was one of his stronger books, I lean towards your second explanation.

[coalescent.livejournal.com]

I agree with this more than I agree with you, although I go back and forth on it.

[andrewducker]

Sadly, my copy of Salt seems to have vanished, so I can't go and re-read the scene again. But my memory is that she struggles and he has to hold her down and cover her mouth to quieten her. And he seems to think that this is what she wants.

If this was explained in the text as somehow symptomatic of the way that Alsists frequently did have sex (hence the confusion), or that he was trying to help her out of her out of her heirarchist ways (and was going mad) I'd have been much happier. Instead, it's pretty much the only scene in the book which doesn't have internal commentary as to its meaning.

I'll have to track it down again when I get back from Norfolk and make sure I'm not misrepresenting it.

[communicator.livejournal.com]

I must re-read Salt because these two reviews of the same scene are fascinating. I tend towards thinking that there is a purpose to the scene, in illustrating the massive problems of the hitherto 'sympathetic' political movement/mindset of the hippy colonists. And in real life the treatment of female consent and emotional needs was a serious problem for the free love movement.

On the other hand, I do think it is problematic for a male writer to use a rape scene for a narrative purpose. I'm not saying it can't be done, but it has to be done carefully, because sexual violence is so stupidly portrayed in a lot of fiction.

FWIW I think Roberts was doing something on purpose here, and a feeling of discomfort and betrayal by the reader was intended.

[andrewducker]

If it had been the case that the Alsists were generally bad on the consent/women's rights then I'd have been much better with the scene - but that didn't seem to be the case. Elsewhere he entirely abides by the wishes of at least two women.

I just don't know - let me know how your reading goes!

[channelpenguin.livejournal.com]

I really cannot get into Adam roberts. Just overdone and clumsy and obvious somehow