Of Life and Love

Tom Robbins’ Still Life with Woodpecker primarily tries to answer this - “There is only one serious question and that is: Who knows how to make love stay?” 

Throughout the book, Robbins mingles this elusive quest with the purpose of the moon, trying to revive the lost glory of monarchs and in the process, attempts to make frogs kissable and prince-able. Still Life pecks on societal values as well as taboos, questions everything and confidently poses answers only to challenge you, the reader, if you accept these answers without thinking twice. It brings down discomfort in the form of rain, suffocation in the form of blackberries, oral contraceptives in the form of carrot seeds, and a world gone horribly wrong in the form of the last quarter of the twentieth century.

The plot twists and swivels under a high dose of fantasy – always momentous, always grandiose. But the implications are always earthy and shine with a simplicity that is difficult to ignore. What begins as a war between altruism and outlawism ends up making lovers out of altruist and outlaw. As they are busy with their squabbles, it is love that eventually emerges victorious. But does the story really divulge to you the secret of how to make love stay? Perhaps when we ask a question like that, we are avoiding love altogether. Perhaps we are simply beating about the bush. Perhaps you should read the book to find out.

As with the rest of Robbins’ books, chaos is at the heart of Still Life. It reverberates in its words, its characters and its plot. And yet, Robbins has the uncanny ability of making chaos appear beautiful. In an often flippant and light-headed manner, he manages to touch upon some of the deepest issues facing society today. As a self proclaimed subversive, he deliberately touches upon issues that make us societal creatures uncomfortable about what we have made of this earth, and what we have made of ourselves. But hope is a ribbon that makes a bow around the story. It reasserts the celebration of love and life. And then there’s the moon. Ah! The moon! For Still Life is a story that attempts to re-ignite our long ignored relationship with the moon, encourages us to accept the qualities we cautiously call lunar. It is a story that is helplessly in love with the moon.

For those of you who spent parts of your childhood pouring Magic Pop into your mouths waiting for the sugar bombs to explode and create magic, here’s literature with a similar effect. Still Life with Woodpecker is full of explosives (literally as well as figuratively), it bursts and crackles all through your mind. Robbins tends to mix metaphors deliberately and effectively - he confuses the senses, and lets new combinations explode in the palate of your mind. Tom Robbins is a terribly experimental writer, and you have to be willing to experiment with reading in order to enjoy him.

In Robbins, I have found a great teacher, and one who teaches in style. Still Life with Woodpecker is definitely a treat for those who feel the need to restore their faith in literature, in life, and in love.