- Paperback: 176 pages
- Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd; New edition edition (24 Sep 1992)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 014016779X
- ISBN-13: 978-0140167795
- Product Dimensions: 19.4 x 12.8 x 1.2 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 138,018 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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More About the Author
Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
Amis attempts here to write a path into and through the inverted morality of the Nazis: how can a writer tell about something that's fundamentally unspeakable? Amis' solution is a deft literary conceit of narrative inversion. He puts two separate consciousnesses into the person of one man, ex-Nazi doctor Tod T. Friendly. One identity wakes at the moment of Friendly's death and runs backwards in time, like a movie played in reverse, (eg, factory smokestacks scrub the air clean,) unaware of the terrible past he approaches. The "normal" consciousness runs in time's regular direction, fleeing his ignominious history.
Product Description
In this novel a man's life is portrayed backwards, from death to birth, as are some of the scenes - for example, sex begins with climax, moves through foreplay and exhausts itself on flirtation. The plot is about a doctor whose story begins with his death. Shortlisted for the Booker Prize.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Amis’s thought-provoking, award-winning, look at the mind of a Nazi involved in the horrors of the holocaust is a very interesting read. The central conceit is that a second voice, the narrator, sits in the mind of the war criminal, watching his life play, backwards. This novel technique means that acts of appalling violence appear to the narrator as acts of great compassion – for example, torture victims are apparently magically healed by the anonymous man we follow through the book.
Amis cleverly juxtaposes this with the man’s life as a doctor, which the narrator perceives as the work of a torturer… this inversion of the truth is a very effective method of showing just how distorted the truth of Nazi Germany (or indeed any country exposed to propaganda) would have been. This is very thought-provoking… and you certainly have to do a lot of thinking when reading this book, what with all conversations taking place in reverse and so forth.
However, interesting and intellectual as this book certainly is, Amis does very little else after establishing the raison d’etre of the story. Once you’ve “discovered” (the jacket gives it away immediately) the author’s conceit, then you could, almost, write the rest of the book yourself and realise the points Amis makes without actually reading them. Interesting and, at times, entertaining though it is, more could have been done to make it a more fulfilling read. Single-concept efforts take a lot of talent to pull off successfully – talent Amis certainly has; he just didn’t use it to its fullest here.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
A book of stark, gaunt imagery and truly emotive subjects. Time's arrow delivers on many levels, as a warning of mans descent into pure evil it utilises the Nazi's reign to portray how seemingly 'normal' people can be turned to sadistic keepers of hell on Earth. The inverted time scale creates a sense of disarray which adds to the tumultuous approach to the inevitable revelation of Tod Friendly's real history.
Contrary to what some have said, Amis deals with the Holocaust with a subtle approach, mirrored by Tod's reversed morality toward the horrific going-ons in Auschwitz.
A heart wrenchingly powerful read, which evokes a myriad of emotions.
Contrary to what some have said, Amis deals with the Holocaust with a subtle approach, mirrored by Tod's reversed morality toward the horrific going-ons in Auschwitz.
A heart wrenchingly powerful read, which evokes a myriad of emotions.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Amis presents an entertaining and enlightening read with Time's Arrow. The story is told by the "soul" of the main character, Dr. Tod Friendly, who narrates Tod's life in reverse. The narrator's innocence makes the read interesting as he describes everyday events taking place backwards as though that was the way the incidents always occur. His naivete also hints at a terrible secret Tod seems to be running from. The reader discovers it during WWII when the main character works at Auschwitz concentration camp. Not only does Amis contrive poignant Holocaust images, but the reversal of time's arrow lets the reader see the event in a different light, one that parallels the Nazi's idea of "creating" a perfect race through genocide. Amis's characteristic mastery of language and satirical wit can be seen throughout the work while his wonderful prose never fails to entertain. Though a little complicated at times, the novel is definately a worthwhile read as it gets the reader's mind working and will not be easily forgotten.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Interesting and challenging
Bizarre Memento-style timeline aside, this is a pretty interesting book. Kudos to the author for finding a new way to write about the horrors of the Holocaust as well as finding a... Read more
Published 23 months ago by trendytracey
Pretty interesting
Apparently the idea of writing a book in "reverse" is not original, but I have never read one like this, and I thought it was well-done and interesting. Read more
Published on 17 Sep 2009 by Blackbeard
Back from the Future.
A man's life viewed in reverse: this is the central conceit of Martin Amis's excellent novel, and once you adjust to the style, it proves an amazing read. Read more
Published on 16 Feb 2001
amazing!
I thought this book was stunning. The concept is brilliant, and the beginning, at least, is very funny. The way the story unfolds was genius - bit like Memento, the movie.
Published on 5 Nov 2000
Pretentious rubbish
Amis has an idea which would have made a mildly interesting 30 page short story. Instead he decides to stretch it for over 100 pages. Read more
Published on 21 Sep 2000
A brilliant, if disturbing journey of one mans' life
Starting as all good thing should,at the end, we become the chip on this mans' shoulder. He is a vile human being who only becomes worse with youth. Read more
Published on 21 Jun 2000
A classic reappraisal of the morality of war and genocide
Amis balances nicely his natural cleverness and his artistry in this book. It might be confusing for the hard-of-thinking but is basically a very simple (and not entirely... Read more
Published on 5 Oct 1999
Good beginning but gets confusing
The beginning of this book is the best part of it, and you really get into it. The problems start when the main character starts moving around the globe, and the number of times... Read more
Published on 17 July 1999
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