Being There – Review

Being There

by Jerzy Kosinski (Bantam Books, 1970)
by Aimee Ouellette

This an old and well-read but timeless novella. Even after two decades, it seems appropriate. Probably Kosinski’s most popular book, Being There is about an intellectually-challenged man named Chance who has spent his entire life taking care of a wealthy man’s gardens. Through a strange and hysterical chain of events, Chance is thrown into a world of sex, politics, media, money, and more politics.

This slow, yet lovable man’s understanding comes from television and maintaining a garden. The people around him think him a genius making profound metaphors on life every time he answers a question, when actually he’s talking about his garden.

Kosinski has always had the power to paint a lovely little story while making audacious comments about politics, people, and society in general. The book pokes fun at the people making the rules, the people who took a third of my paycheck last week, the people hoarding all the jobs, cash, (you get the picture). Next time you hear a politician making a speech, you might not take his metaphors so figuratively. It’s a funny yet frightening book; great for the tedious T. It would be nice to see someone reading something beside Jurassic Park.