Doug Dorst

Jeffrey Jacob Abrams

V. M. Straka

What is Ship of Theseus, and who is its mysterious author V.M. Straka? Conceived by filmmaker J.J. Abrams and written by acclaimed novelist Doug Dorst, Ship of Theseus is the central novel within the experience that is S., a multi-faceted narrative of love and mystery. Ship of Theseus is at its core and is the final book written by a man shrouded in deception and violence. It tells the mystical adventure of an equally mysterious figure, who is struggling to discover his own identity. Abducted onto the eponymous ship, the main character is swept into a story that spans oceans and ports, mountains and caves, capitals and citadels. Two things sustain him: his lifelong search for his love, Sola; and the infernal purpose of the ship and its crew. Equal parts Kafka and Lovecraft, Ship of Theseus is both a frightening adventure and a philosophical treasure hunt.

Ship of Theseus

“What begins at the water shall end there, and what ends there shall once more begin.”
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There is something slightly magical and alluring about second hand books. Notes scribbled on a margin. Maybe a receipt with its ink growing faint over time. A small card long forgotten in between the pages. They offer a small glimpse into the life of someone you have never met, perhaps will never meet, but with whom you share something in common: the book in your hands.

Ship of Theseus is all about that particular human connection. It is a mind-bending experience that surpasses the book itself, layered with stories on top of stories, asking the reader to get lost in its twists, to really make an effort and work hard to come out the other side of its labyrinthine pages. Mixing different mediums together (from inserts to extra support material online), it is more of an experience than a story.

You need to be patient, take your time, and really relish the mysteries. But I cannot tell you whether it will be worth all the effort at the end. That’s completely up to the individual. I also cannot tell you how to read it, for each reader must find their own way to explore it. But here is what I did if you need a guide:
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  1. Ship of Theseus + footnotes + margin notes in pencil
2. Margin notes in blue/black
3. Margin notes in orange/green
4. Margin notes in red/purple
5. Margin notes in black/black

Yes. That means that you read the book 5 times, more or less. I didn’t say it would be easy.

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At the end of the day, it is a very difficult book to review. It is complex, layered, scattered, circling - always circling around itself. It was an interesting experiment, but by the last round of reading, I was slightly underwhelmed by the big mystery of everything. Good, just not great.

3.5/5

Ship of Theseus

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