I don’t mean what is the literal plot, of course. I’ve read the novel. It’s possibly my favourite novel, even. But whilst I never tire of the beautiful language hoops Mart makes his prose leap through, I am always vaguely aware I’m missing whatever Big Idea he’s trying to get across.
You’ve got the Bomb thrown in there, stuff about the death of love, plus some vague stuff about Capitalism. I always sort of think Marmaduke the monstrous, ultra strong baby with the Oedipal complex represents America for example but how that fits into anything else I have no clue. Or indeed if this reading is true in the first place.
Thoughts on an overarching theme?