Even after reading and contemplating Crash, I still have very little idea of what Ballard's intent was with this novel. His world, while realistic in the sense that there aren't any dragons or people with magical powers, turns everything we, in the real world, know upside down. Crash is everything not normal, everything extreme, everything not "morally right" (by whatever definition). It's uncomfortable and unrealistic, but somehow, he makes it seem real. Because it is so absurd, it is hard to tell whether Ballard has written this book for a similar reason to Swift writing A Modest Proposal, or if there is some message hidden behind it. Is it a message on modern human reliance on technology for happiness and entertainment? Is it a comment on the pursuit of sexual pleasure? Whatever his intent, it is not explicitly stated (despite the book being rather explicit...).
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