The Fermata

Nicholson Baker immediately grabbed me with his "character can stop time" premise. Really immediate. Like Page One immediate. There aren't a lot of authors that can pull that off, so my hopes for "The Fermata" were high. My interest level remained high as he explored the premise in extreme detail. We all know what men would do with such a power, but how would things like light, sound, electricity, and photography be affected? Baker gives us these fun little details, but he quickly settles in to the book's real focus: hard core erotica. Because I hadn't read any reviews beforehand, it was not exactly what I was expecting.The first half of the book is a mix of time-control curiosities and sexual titillation. The second half of the book abandons most of the science fiction element and keeps only the erotica. Main character Arno Strine fancies himself an amateur erotic author. Fine. This aspect of the book fills in character details and provides motivations. My objections come from (I'm not exaggerating here) _entire_chapters_ devoted to Arno's amateur porn. The book's premise becomes completely inverted...it's only purpose is to provide author Nicholson Baker with a respectable literary cloak for publishing porn.The story line becomes so outlandish towards the end, the character dialogue and interactions so ridiculous, that I thought perhaps it would end by revealing that the narrator was simply delusional. If that's what the reader was meant to infer, Baker certainly made no effort to make it easy for them.Baker's a good author in terms of style. He creates a very credible voice for his protagonist, but what he does with that voice was just too over the top for me. Given his talent and unique treatment of the whole time travel/control fantasy, this book could have been so much more. That's why it's ultimately so dissatisfying.

Baker's protagonist, Arno Strine, calls the pornographic stories he writes "rot", short for "erotica" but also suggesting a British term for "nonsense" or "baloney". This is clearly a description of the book itself -- not to be taken seriously, but enjoyable nonetheless. Most of the book is a series of unrelated fantasies. Every hetero male will recognize their essence -- man sees pretty woman at the office; man sees pretty woman sunbathing at the beach; man sees pretty woman driving on the highway; man is examined by pretty female doctor -- but Baker develops them in original and witty ways.The novelty is that Arno is magically endowed with the intermittent power to stop time for everyone except himself. This being a sex fantasy, Arno does not use his power to rob banks, perform instantaneous surgery, embarrass corrupt officials, rescue people from burning buildings, etc. -- all he does is take off women's clothes and write about it. There isn't any plot to speak of, and not much character development. Arno himself is quite believable, but the women he strips, as is traditional for erotic literature, are just scenery. If this bothers you, then look elsewhere; but if you take it for what it is, you will likely be both titillated and entertained.

This is a book you will read more than once. Over the years, I have. Make sure when you lend it to your friends, you get it back! I recently ordered a new copy because mine has disappeared again, among my women friends who poo-poo the subject but are nontheless fascinated by the read.How does a man who stops time use his great gift? In pursuit of his own personal happiness which is directly tied to his physical appreciation of women. In The Fermata, the protagonist, Arno, absolutely loves women -- it comes across in every lust-imbued word -- women of all body types, skin textures and ages. He falls in love regularly, as he keenly observes them and attempts to touch them in more than a physical way; he attempts to imprint their psyches anonymously with his admiration for them. The good reader will remove herself from judgment of Arno's decision-action tandem, suspend questions of self-determination by all the women from which Arno removes those questions, and enjoy immersing her own imagination in the thoughts of this considerate, intellectual man whose sexual appetites are permitted free reign (within his own strict morality of sorts) to manifest themselves. So many moments in the book are equally profoundly philosophical and hilariously profane, like when he tests out a small sex toy on himself to see how it would feel on a woman so that the result is just right. Arno wants this stranger to have a hidden and secret pleasure and goes to great ends to see it occur, while at the same time showing great concern for her comfort through his anonymity.Love it!

I'm not sure at what point others grew tired of Arnos rambling, aimless retellings of his perversions. I recall being interested in this story a number of years ago.The overall concept is still fascinating however, I genuinely believed a number of people who explained he doesn't use his 'gift' for bad. He spends all of his time molesting and raping (something which is underplayed by Arno). In some incidences he does negatively impact the lives of others though he pretends to have a moral compass.On top of that, given that Arno spends his time in his real life as a writer, I'm surprised that his autobiography is full of such muddled ramblings. Having never read Baker's other works, I wondered if this is really author intrusion.Aside that, I grew irritated with the senseless means of engaging 'the drop' and so on. No unity of logic. It's one thing to have the character not know, another for the author to be lazy and not know.

A weird book not to everyone's taste. Written in the first person and the lead character is not a nice person. But amusing in a sick sort of way and does provoke some thoughts about morals. Worth every penny I paid for it, but then again one penny was all I paid.

Boring.

Was recommended to me but I fail to see why.

Amazing - one of the most unique science fiction stories I've ever read.Amazing - one of the most unique science fiction stories I've ever read.

The central proposition of this novel - that, given the ability to stop time, a man will inevitably default to using these magic powers to take women's clothes off - could, in the hands of Philip Roth, have been a masterpiece. But unfortunately, this tale has the lewdness and vulgarity that would seem typical of the febrile mind of a teenage boy, not a mature author such as Baker, and it is unconvincing in its main premise that the narrator is not doing anything abusive or degrading to the women because they are not aware of what is happening to them at the time (would the narrator apply the same justification to women who are drugged and abused without their knowledge too?). A silly and pointless book.