Book Review: The Isolate
The Isolate. Apollo Camembert, Black Scat Books, February 1, 2023, Paperback, 132 pages.
Reviewed by Shanti Nagarkatti.
In Apollo Camembert’s novel, The Isolate, a man becomes so fed up with modern life that he decides to hole himself up in stealth housing to avoid all contact with the outside world. From the outside, the dwelling on Chicago’s West Grand Avenue looks like just another industrial steel door. However, inside what used to be a warehouse, Camembert’s unnamed narrator has installed a conservatory roof with one-way tinted polycarbonate. This affords privacy but allows the apple trees and food crops he is growing to get sunlight. Drone shipments to the roof – accessed by a staircase and hidden panel – are scheduled for weekends to avoid suspicion from the nearby warehouse workers.
The protagonist is motivated by not wanting anyone to know where he is and not drawing attention to himself. Alas, the outside world has different plans. One day, a drone gets tangled in the rooftop antennae. The narrator, thinking it is a routine delivery, goes to free it only to find it is a projection drone that has come to him randomly. The drone is souped up with a built-in USB port containing instructions for how to call for bundles of drones capable of being programmed with hologram messages and sent to others.
Overcoming his skepticism, the narrator concludes it is worth a try. In one memorable scene, he generates holograms of himself as Oscar Wilde and General Tecumseh Sherman that he sends to those who have wronged him in the past. Spoiler alert: The drones in the narrator’s possession metaphorically come back to bite him.
After a while, the narrator turns his attention from the drones and constructs a fish pond. In a reflective moment, he observes, “I have been symbolically burying my past in the ground I have been digging up for the fish pond. Every shovelful is the burial of something I would prefer to forget. I dig in and turn it over. And then I cart it off elsewhere, not to have to think about it again. I have a mound of old injuries piled up in the yard. But they are being aired out and will be set free. And then I can lay the ground to rest.”
Although the main character’s solitude is by choice, this passage illustrates the profound emotional effects of isolation, voluntary or not. Reading this brought back memories of COVID-19 when many people turned to DIY projects to manage the stress and uncertainty of a once-in-a-generation pandemic.
Despite the main character’s efforts to keep a low profile, his guard comes down as visitors appear at his door uninvited. These encounters put him into contact with the world outside and challenge the inviolability of the space he has created. Going along with the protagonist as he navigates these unexpected situations is an entertaining ride, one that occasionally calls the reader to suspend disbelief.
The author employs stream-of-consciousness to enter the main character’s mind. While this gives the reader a window into the protagonist’s thoughts and impressions it occasionally lands on the side of being too random and slowing the plot.
By turns playful and heartfelt, the work showcases the author’s love of language and adroit wordplay. For example, businesses on the main character’s block include an auto repair shop with signage reading “Wanted: Parts Person,” and a prosthodontist’s office, “Kutt Coroners,” specializing in discount crowns.
I would recommend The Isolate to those who appreciate satire, dark humor, and postmodern literature. Readers of Kurt Vonnegut, Italo Calvino, and Donald Barthelme will enjoy escaping into Camembert’s quirky fictional world.