A Serious Matter of Total Unseriousness

 I've occasionally heard references and the like to this book and its various other forms of media. I was not prepared at all for actually reading it, though. At first, it was hard to get into. The style of writing felt...off. Sort of like someone not entirely in the right state if mind had wrote the novel. And after looking into the author, yes that's a bit true in a more literal sense. However, I think it does have more to do with the way the world of this novel works. To us, the reader, everything is wild and crazy and without any kind of logic or reasoning. But in the pages of the novel, everything being discussed is of the utmost seriousness. From the two tiny armies swallowed by a dog, to a ship that runs on literal improbability, it is all of a more realistic nature. At least to Arthur, Ford, and the others.

Though, perhaps serious is too strong of a word. Really, all these insane things going on are just normal, everyday life for our group of space adventurers. And that's what I think really sells the book. It treats these things as normal, mundane even. Marvin drops the bomb that he caused a spaceship to commit suicide like he was chatting about the weather. Then they just move on from it and onto the next thing. We the reader discover mice are actually hyperintelligent beings that created earth. Next, the main cast are having dinner with them with only a minor slipup from Arthur.

Speaking of Arthur, he's really the only "realistic" character we get, and even then he acclimates to non earth life pretty well. Of course, people on earth are very much a part of this universe and its illogical logic, so that's not much of a standard to be held to. All in all, the story makes so little sense that it comes full circle into making sense again. We the reader get sucked into the universe and begin to see it through the eyes of its inhabitants. At some point we begin to see deadly poetry, world building businesses, and the answer to everything being 42, as completely normal. 

And that's what made it enjoyable for me. My suspension of disbelief was so high I ended up on the moon. I enjoyed the adventures of our main group because it was like I was right beside them the whole time. Yes, there were some actual philosophical questions posed throughout the book. Arthur lost every thing he's ever known and is thrust into a galactic journey. And that's what brings it from a good, enjoyable book I read once or twice, to a book that captivates so many people. There is real meaning and thought behind the insane ramblings. There are things that make one stop and think, go back and reread the novel, and enjoy discussing with one's friends or in a class much like ours. I don't think if this book didn't have the few overarching themes it did would it have done so well. Those really are the only things that tie the story together. There is no such thing as having a cohesive story in this universe and it definitely needed the actually serious questions to keep it from falling apart.