Michelangelo's Finger: An Exploration of Everyday Transcendence

Basing his study on a detail of what is perhaps one of the best-known Western artworks%E2%80%94Michelangelo's The Creation of Adam on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel%E2%80%94British poet, novelist, and professor Tallis (The Kingdom of Infinite Space) explores the significance of the index finger in humanity's development as a species. While the impulse to parse a cultural and biological history out of such an unassuming thing is a noble and intriguing one, in this case it's a stretch, as if contrary to Tallis's suggestion that the fingers of Adam and God in Michelangelo's masterpiece may have just separated, they are actually reaching to connect; similarly, Tallis is desperately trying to make this work. Though "the unnatural nature of pointing and what it tells us about ourselves are the theme of this book," he never quite reaches his mark. Expounding on meaning-making, linguistics (Tallis argues that "Pointing is often seen as a bridge between the pre-linguistic and linguistic states of humanity"), and other philosophical concerns, large portions will prove difficult to the general reader. However, such opaque ruminations eventually give way, in the latter half of the book, to an admirably breezy prose style more befitting its pop philosophy subject matter. Though Tallis begins with a compelling premise, readers will likely be using their definitive digit to scratch their heads after this one. (Mar.)