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Description
From the award-winning author of Legend of a Suicide: "A kind of modern fairy tale . . . Vann's novels are striking, uncompromising portraits of American life" (Kirkus Reviews, starred review). David Vann's dazzling debut Legend of a Suicide was reviewed in over a 150 major global publications, won eleven prizes worldwide, was on forty "best books of the year" lists, and established its author as a literary master. Now, in crystalline, chiseled yet graceful prose, Aquarium takes us into the heart of a brave young girl whose longing for love and capacity for forgiveness transforms the damaged people around her . . . Twelve-year-old Caitlin lives alone with her mother—a docker at the local container port—in subsidized housing next to an airport in Seattle. Each day, while she waits to be picked up after school, Caitlin visits the local aquarium to study the fish. Gazing at the creatures within the watery depths, Caitlin accesses a shimmering universe beyond her own. When she befriends an old man at the tanks one day, who seems as enamored by the fish as she, Caitlin cracks open a dark family secret and propels her once-blissful relationship with her mother toward a precipice of terrifying consequence. "A blue-collar parable . . . [The character] looks back on her life as a child looks into a tank, hoping to make sense of the world inside—a theme Vann develops beautifully, creating a mysterious realm of the wintry American city." —The Guardian Read more
Publisher : Atlantic Monthly Press
Accessibility : Learn more
Publication date : March 3, 2015
Edition : First Trade Paper
Language : English
File size : 4.8 MB
Screen Reader : Supported
Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
X-Ray : Enabled
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Top Amazon Reviews
Format: Hardcover
Important: this is a book that I strongly recommend reading in hard copy. The experience of the hardcover was fantastic: textured dust jacket, thick paper, two-color type, and full-color photographs interspersed throughout the text. The (entirely appropriate) title of this book is Aquarium, and the aquarium is where Caitlin spends most of her time after school, waiting for her mother to pick her up after work. Fortunately, Caitlin loves fish. You know how five-year-old boys are frequently obsessed with, say, dinosaurs, or insects, and they spout facts about them at every opportunity, and seem almost to see the world around them through dinosaur- or insect-tinted lenses? That's how Caitlin is about fish, and somehow, it's not precious or irritating -- at times, it's both surprisingly beautiful and shockingly profound. There were a few moments that inspired in me what I can only describe as sheer awe, a shivery recognition of something so true that it's beyond words or intellect. Caitlin's mom is also a fascinating character, because she contains within her two diametrically opposed archetypes, reconciled in a convincing way. On one hand, she is the stereotypically hardworking, blue-collar single mother, sacrificing her own comforts to try to give her daughter a better life. On the other hand, she nurses a deep hatred -- maybe the deepest I've ever seen in fiction -- for her father, who walked out on her family when her mother was dying of cancer. That hatred makes her crazy, literally, and her outbursts are both painful and compelling, forcing the reader to hover ambivalently between hatred and sympathy. In short, this book knocked my socks off. I felt drained by the end of it, because I'd invested so deeply that it was almost as if I'd been through the book's crises myself. I wish every book left me feeling so charged at the end.
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Reviewed in the United States on June 20, 2016 by Brave New Bookshelves
Format: Hardcover
This was not an easy read in that it often felt unbearably sad, but it left an impression on me and I really appreciated the book as a whole. It gave a glimpse into a side of people we don't want to see and the believability of the story and characters makes it all the more difficult to read. A young girl, Caitlin, has a fascination with fish and befriends an older man at the local aquarium. The story starts out deceptively light and quiet. Once Caitlin's mother learns about Caitlin's friend her fear for her daughter is heightened due to something that happened to her growing up. The mother's difficult past has manifested into hatred and borderline sadistic behavior, making her a wholly unlikable character, leaving little room for sympathy (in my opinion). My heart ached for other characters in the story as I experienced brutal, heavy, and raw moments alongside them. The language is beautifully stylistic and at times prose like, with wonderful imagery. I often found myself pausing to appreciate how appropriately and beautifully the fish/aquarium metaphor was used. One particular image still stands out in my mind, weeks after finishing the book. I'm normally drawn to books due to strong narrative and characters rather than style of writing, but Vann's use of language is a stand-out in this book. It is largely introspective and at times profound... "A terrible moment in childhood hovers with a kind of eternity, unbearable." "Each thing that happens to us, each and every thing, it leaves some dent, and that dent will always be there. Each of us is a walking wreck." The narrative is quieter in my opinion; the story in and of itself is not a page turner though there is a surprise or two and the chapters are short enough it's easy to keep reading "just one chapter more". I read it in a few days because I was so drawn to the language and characters, who are fully believable and well-written, if not all likeable. As others have mentioned, I also highly recommend the physical hardcover book. I don't know that I've ever read a book so physically appealing... thick pages with a smooth feel, two colored font, color images that add to the story, textured cover... it definitely added to my reading experience.
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Reviewed in the United States on June 1, 2018 by Nightowl.Bookworm
Format: Kindle
I'd rate this 3.5 stars. Here's a conundrum: how do you review a book that is dazzlingly beautiful but otherwise relentlessly brutal? Do you focus on how it's written or how it makes you feel? David Vann's Aquarium is a book that makes me ponder those questions. Vann's writing is truly masterful, but this is a book that hits you with a wallop. Twelve-year-old Caitlin is growing up in Seattle, being raised by a single mother who works at a local container port—a menial, laborious job that barely helps them make ends meet. Because her mother can't afford child care, and can't pick Caitlin up directly after school, Caitlin spends each afternoon at the aquarium, which is no punishment for her, since she loves fish more than anything. "The only thing that kept me moving along that street each afternoon was the blue at the end, the sea visible because we were on a hill. That blue promised the aquarium. A gauntlet leading to a sanctuary. I could have stayed in an after-school program, but it was my choice to visit the fish. They were emissaries sent from a larger world. They were the same as possibility, a kind of promise." Caitlin studies the fish each day, and reflects on their place in the world at large. One day, she meets an old man who seems as enamored of the fish as she is. He strikes up conversations with her and is amazed at her knowledge of these denizens of the deep. They begin to meet at the aquarium each afternoon. As Caitlin struggles with what is going on in her life—her mother coming under scrutiny for bringing her to work at night when she does overtime, Caitlin's feelings for her best friend Shalini—the old man proves to be her salvation. Although Caitlin wants to keep him a secret from her mother because she is worried how she'll react, the man insists Caitlin introduce him to her mother. But little does Caitlin know what fissures this man will open in her life, in her relationship with her mother, and her mother's psyche in general. For the first time in her life, Caitlin sees how brutal and painful life can be, how it can derail you from all you want and all you hope for. She finds herself living in fear of losing all that she loves, and all that she wants. Aquarium is truly a sucker punch to the gut. It is vivid in its depiction of how hurtful and cruel a person who feels they are wronged can be, and how easily they can injure another person physically and emotionally. It's a book about how the sins of adults are often visited on their children, and how easy it can be to take your own frustration and sadness out on those who are more vulnerable. But as brutal as it is, there is still a glimmer of hope deep inside. "The worst part of childhood is not knowing that bad things pass, that time passes. A terrible moment in childhood hovers with a kind of eternity, unbearable." I found this book tremendously difficult to read and a bit disturbing. The transformation Caitlin's mother undergoes, while realistic, is so drastic and shocking it's nearly over-the-top, but you can understand how a woman so beat down by life could have so much anger inside her. But in trying to illustrate this point, I felt that Vann might have taken it a little too far, because it became difficult to sympathize with her, and those who watched her actions occur. I'd never read anything Vann has written before, but I was truly amazed at the depth of his talent. And it is that talent, that storytelling ability, that kept me reading even as my heart hurt for Caitlin. This isn't necessarily a book you'll enjoy, but it is one which will leave your mind reeling.
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Reviewed in the United States on March 14, 2015 by Larry Hoffer
Format: Hardcover
I've read Aquarium twice. I think it's brilliant--a true and timely work of art. A book like this reminds me of why I love literature, and why I read. Many other reviewers have included a sampling of truly interesting and/or beautiful text from this book. There is so much and it's so varied; I think most readers will discover their own particular collection of moving passages. Aquarium can be difficult, but none of the difficulty feels gratuitous, none of the extremities are familiar -- none of this is reworked material from the slush pile of literary history. The situations, the voice, and the events are original, are rooted in our world and time, and are offered in clear, sometimes transcendent prose by an acute and insightful observer of our culture, our biases, our fears. While a close reader can find flaws in anything worthwhile, I feel fortunate to have another novel from an artist whose work justifies the enormous risks he takes. My response to Aquarium taught me something about myself and about the world I live in. It's a quick read. Its surface is clear, but its contents wondrous. I -- and apparently other reviewers as well -- found the book emotionally challenging. It may not be easy, but it's worth a thousand books that are.
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Reviewed in the United States on March 15, 2015 by Alohanaut
Format: Kindle
Raw, evocative, fierce and relentless are some of the adjectives that have been used to describe this book. Aquarium can also be described as a coming of age story, which are not particularly rare, but I am sure this is by far the most emotionally intense I've ever read. On a pure visual level, this is a gorgeous book to look at. The novel is enhanced by the beautiful and colorful pictures of fish and other sea creatures that are cleverly integrated into the story. I read Aquarium on my Kindle but I imagine that an electronic device might not the optimal medium to enjoy this book and can see how the hard-copy version should provide a richer visual experience. This is my first novel by Alaskan-born author David Vann, who does an amazing job at recreating the story of Caitlin, an earnest 12 year-old girl that lives with Sheri, her single mom who works as a docker at the local port in a subsidized housing neighborhood. Caitlin now on her early 30's, looks back on her life with a sense of longing and nostalgia. Reading her story helps us remember the limited perspective a child has on life and how terrifying it can be to be at the mercy of the adults that surround you and take decisions on your behalf. The story centers around Caitlin daily visits to the Seattle Aquarium. She goes there every day after school to wait for her mother to pick her up after her shift is over. She is fascinated by the fish and dreams of becoming an ichthyologist in Australia or Indonesia. The aquarium becomes a magical place, with all its beautiful creatures, and provides a wonderful setting that allows her to escape the harsh realities of her life, the loneliness and her mother's bitterness and anger. Aquarium raises many issues, but at its core it questions how our parents and the choices they made shaped who we are and how we define ourselves. The novel also addresses the inextricably connection between poverty and happiness, and how it can affect every aspect of a person's existence. Money does not guarantee happiness but the chronic lack of it can certainly crush anybody's mind and spirit. It's difficult to provide more details of this story without undermining the experience for other readers, but I should finally say that although this book contain scenes that are almost unbearable ugly and shocking, it is also a story about redemption, empathy and forgiveness. I admit to probably missing some of the symbolism and aquatic metaphors on Aquarium, of which they are plenty, but overall this book fascinated me and I couldn't stop reading it. Highly recommend it!
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Reviewed in the United States on April 19, 2015 by Iris Pereyra
Format: Kindle
A very dark story. I would not have chosen to read it but did so only because it was my book club selection
Reviewed in the United States on October 13, 2015 by Sheila Carroll
Format: Kindle
I'm still a bit dazed and reeling from the emotional toll "Aquarium" left after an all day read. This was the first book I've read by David Vann and he sure doesn't pull any punches tackling tough topics. The "Aquarium" is about a 12 year old girl, Caitlin, from Seattle, daughter of single mom Sheri, who's struggling to make ends meet as a blue collar laborer at the Port of Seattle. Sheri drops Caitlin off super early at school (only the janitor is there earlier) to get to her job on time. Every day after school, Caitln goes to the Seattle Aquarium to spend time exploring her passion, the fish, until her mom can pick her up after her job lets out. One day she encounters an older man at the Aquarium and she strikes up a quick friendship, sharing her knowledge of the various fish with him. I won't share more detail as it would give away the substance of the novel. If you are someone who likes happy and sunny stories, this is not a book for you. I loved the raw emotion and sparseness of Vann's writing as he doesn't overburden the plot or characters with unnecessary background or dialogue. Highly recommend this and I'm going to definitely check out some of his other work.
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Reviewed in the United States on March 8, 2015 by William Capodanno
Format: Kindle
Twelve year old Caitlin and her mother Sherri live in a run down apt in a run down building in a nondescript part of Seattle. Caitlin's love for her mother, tho, is what makes the apt vital and vibrant. When Caitlin meets an old man in the aquarium she visits after school, her somnolent, underwater world is shaken. Vann uses the fish and water metaphor a bit much in this beautiful and shocking novel. He describes Caitlin's innocence so beautifully, like the constant murmur of the sounds of a fish tank. But in the second half of the book, this quiet, underwater serenity crashes open and the fish tank is destroyed. It's a little hard to believe that things can change in such a crazily dramatic way, but Vann brings this to life in an intensely descriptive manner. We see Caitlin emerging a bit too surreally and simply given all that has happened and I would have liked a little more depth towards the end, but I gave this four stars because it's a beautifully rendered novel (I love the fish photos) that reads with a fluidity and pace that can't be stopped.
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Reviewed in the United States on June 1, 2015 by Jane L Ades