Can someone explain the end of "Gob's Grief" to me?

May 1, 2009 2:28 PM

Has anyone read Gob's Grief by Chris Adrian? Can you please explain the last chapter to me? It's gone completely over my head.

Was the entire story set in like, a bizarro world, where Gob & crew were dead the entire time? Or did the machine work, Tomo came back to life, but Gob died in the process? If Tomo came back, why didn't everyone else? I have absolutely no idea what that last chapter was about. Help!

posted by BuddhaInABucket to media & arts (3 comments total)

I read it a while ago, so the details are hazy, but my sense is that the machine worked. I think it is open to multiple readings, of course, and Adrian's work always plays with the question of bizarro world, but I don't think it was that they were dead the entire time. I am now curious & will go back and look!
posted by judith at 4:55 PM on May 1

My reaction to the last chapter (when I read it, which was a long time ago) was pretty much the same as yours. I was actually kind of pissed at the author.
posted by ocherdraco at 7:06 AM on May 2

Taken at face value:
The machine worked. Tomo came back to life. Gob died in the process. Aside from those who used the machine, memory seems to have been adjusted to make it seem that Gob is the one that went off to war. Since the machine was not invoked properly and was destroyed, it didn't bring everyone back to life (or maybe Walt's universal love was required to bring everyone back, and Gob could only bring back Tomo). Pickie is the boy on the bridge.
posted by sad_otter at 8:46 AM on May 2