I Just Don't Get It

I just finished reading Jon Courtenay Grimwood's lastest novel "Stamping Butterflies". I found that this book has a lot in common with M.John Harrison's recent return to SF "Light".

They both have multiple plot strands (past, present, near-future and far-future) that interweave throughout. They both concern the science of Quantum Physics, especially as it relates to Chaos Theory and the Uncertainty Principle. They both involve the discovery of Faster-That-Light (FTL) drives that allow man to spread out of this tiny corner of the galaxy that we call the Solar-system and colonise the stars. They are both exceedingly well written.

But for me, the main thing they have in common is: I Just Don't Get It!

I've read Light twice now, but in the end I just don't understand what went on. I enjoyed the ride. I loved the imagery that Harrison's skill with language invoked. I appreciate the beauty of it all and the characterisation, and the hard-SF ideas, and, and.... there is a lot I could go on about, I did actually enjoy much of it, but I cannot for the life of me figure out what it was all about.

Stamping Butterflies had exactly the same effect on me. I enjoyed each individual plot strand of the story. I followed each plot strand quite well, I thought. Some of the Marrakech scenes were really written, bringing strong images of Marrakech to me as I read. But I just can't work out how each strand weaves together to give me the whole!

Maybe I'm just the sort of person one reviewer on Amazon was talking about when he mentions in relation to Light:

Only the shallow reader who isn't prepared to dirty themselves in the muddy
waters of empathy will not get the point of this novel.

"The muddy waters of empathy"!? Please, that's just too much! I have always thoroughly immersed myself in my books (just ask my wife) and am no stranger to those muddy waters. I just think that with these two books the authors have tried too hard to be mysterious. Tried too hard at hiding a message, because the fact is, I know they mean something... I just don't know what!

I'll probably read Stamping Butterflies again one day, I'll probably read Light again too. Maybe, if I keep reading them over and over, one day the penny will drop and I'll let out a big, satisfied Aha! of understanding.