D. M. Thomas Critical Essay | Critical Review by Helen Dudar

Critical Review by Helen Dudar

SOURCE: “Canonized and Analyzed,” in New York Times Book Review, October 2, 1988, p. 13.

In the following review, Dudar offers unfavorable assessment of Memories and Hallucinations.

The distinguished English writer D. M. Thomas interrupts the last chapter of Memories and Hallucinations with a brief review of his book by his cat. Kitty has complaints: there are inaccuracies and omissions, there is the absence of pattern to the narrative. “In short,” concludes the cat, which is also named Thomas, “I can't recommend this book.”

Clearly this was meant to be funny, a pre-emptive attack on anticipated surly notices. But employing a house pet, even an extremely literate cat, to do the work of a wit or an apologist struck me as desperate, not to say awfully cute. It's as if Mr. Thomas had leafed through his manuscript—padded out with his poems, plus his first published short story—and realized that the...
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