Summer Reading: 'Paradise'

This summer I spent most of my time taking a global seminar in Greece, and, as you might guess, I didn’t have much time for recreational reading. It was in those quiet weeks between finals and awaiting my flight that I read my favorite book of the summer — “Paradise,” by Donald Barthelme. The book is kind of dark. But compared with my other summer reads — “The Long Goodbye,” Raymond Chandler’s culminating private detective novel in which protagonist Marlowe loses the love of his life, his colleague and his best friend; “Athens, Still Remains,” Jacques Derrida’s meditation on death and photography; and the self-explanatory Dashiell Hammett novella “Woman in the Dark” — “Paradise” is a whimsical stroll down Prospect Avenue.

In this satirical novel, a divorced, middle-aged architect named Simon suddenly happens into a scenario where three lingerie models start living with him in his New York apartment — an incarnation of the stereotypical male fantasy, hence the book’s title. Naturally, complications ensue, as the three models and Simon become involved as friends, and then as more than friends. What may seem a frivolous and farcical premise is transformed by Barthelme’s wit and synergy of dialogue, propelling this work into a fast, delightful read of postmodern fiction. Half the time revolves around the off-beat conversations of Simon and the girls, and the other half is a dialogue between Simon and what appears to be his psychologist. The latter aspect of the novel lends the book a sing-song quality reminiscent of Kurt Vonnegut’s wilder works.

The novel is also chock-full of social commentary with an injection of architectural language (Barthelme’s father was an architect). Simon’s apparent disinterest in his architectural work, considering it only a profession, caught my attention because of my own interest in the field.

Funny and at times hilarious, the story is also somber, as the models must eventually leave and the protagonist must return to being a lonely divorcé, distant from his grown children. Despite the tension between comedy and tragedy, Barthelme manages to be witty and tactful in his expression of 1980s excess. Read it for the fun, but remember it for the gut punch it gives as the models slowly, then rapidly depart Simon’s flat. Barthelme is a master of the 20th century satire, and “Paradise” is one of his best.