Diary of a Bad Year by J. M. Coetzee
The protagonist of the narrative is an elderly guy who has learned to live entirely in his imagination but who is suddenly tormented by desire and ultimately love. Additionally, it fits the restricted yet life-altering nature of the interaction between the elderly guy and the young woman. The vast age gap between them severely restricts the depth of their relationship, which I believe the young woman character could have overcome if she truly was a “bimbo,” as one reviewer claimed. As a result, there isn’t enough “flesh” there (literally!) to fill out a novel that is solely about their relationship.
Diary of a Bad Year by J. M. Coetzee
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Senor C, the primary character, is an author and occasional academic. He is creating a book of opinions and musings about the current world while he is elderly and ill. He meets Anya, a young, attractive woman with a “nice ass,” in his quoted words. She is a sexual goddess and he sort of lusts after her. He employs her as a “typist” of his “Opinions” to ensure that he will see her again. Despite the fact that she lives in the same building as the old professor, her lover Alan frequently disturbs his libido, which is primarily fantasized.
Fast-talking, dishonest investment broker Alan has just enough liberal education to pass for bright. He starts to feel a little envious of Anya’s assistance to Senor C. and suggests later in the book that they embezzle the 3 million dollars the elderly man has in the bank. Alan gets a gut feeling that the old man is a socialist hippy who “has been” and can’t make it in the real world of commerce and finance. He embodies the traits of a hack with an MBA who wears high heels and has no morals. He is a negative stereotype of Tom Buchanan from “The Great Gatsby,” a snob who values things according to their monetary value. Anya is not Daisy Buchanan, though.
She first gives off the impression of being a chubby schoolgirl confident in the power of her sexuality and beauty. She has come to the same conclusion that Senor C is idealistic and disconnected from the “modern world” as Alan. More troubling is Senor C’s persona. He speculates on a wide range of topics and is an intellectual dabbler who may aspire to be the French essayist Montaigne. Old and ailing, he finds inspiration in this lovely young woman who ultimately has a compassionate heart. Unfortunately, Senor C’s portrayal by Coetzee lacks authenticity and coherence…
Many of The Old, in my opinion, will find it thrilling, humorous, heartwarming, suspenseful, and finally deeply truthful about the final journey we all have to travel. I don’t think a novel could be expected to do anything more.
