This is a very enjoyable read, although it makes no sense whatsoever, which is how I often feel about reading Faulkner, someone who I believe Flanagan had in mind here, along with the poet, Rimbaud. The story is structured roughly … Continue reading
Funny, Imaginative, and Vulgar This is my first Palahniuk novel, and to my surprise, I enjoyed it. Surprised because it’s not the sort of thing I normally like, a hodge-podge of urban punk, violent, humorous, sci-fi, horror of an experimental thing. … Continue reading
There is a vaguely Faulknerian mood to this strange novel. In Faulkner’s work, dim-witted, almost subhuman characters passively bump their ways around Yoknapatawpha County. As a traditionalist, I’m not a fan of passive, aimless characters behaving pointlessly, but at least … Continue reading
Seriously Aimless In this sometimes amusing novel, two well-off American women cast aside their comfortable lives and pursue separate journeys of self-discovery. In both cases, they end up hanging out with prostitutes, con-men, and other shady characters, living in … Continue reading
Wandering Through the Nonsense Lavalle, Victor (2010). Big Machine. New York: Spiegel & Grau (366 pp.). At least a meandering river will reach the sea. This tale just meanders, as the cover art suggests. The first-person narrator, Ricky Rice, is a … Continue reading
Mild Angst in the Suburbs Barthelme, Frederick (1990). Natural Selection. Washington, D.C.: Counterpoint. White, employed, middle-class, American, suburban guy is annoyed at popular culture. His wife and kid become exasperated with his constant complaining – about TV, magazines, people at work, … Continue reading
But Do They Have Sex? Dunn, Katherine. (1983/2002). Geek Love. New York: Vintage (348 pp). You have to give this novel credit for sheer originality. The main characters are a U.S. family of performers in a traveling carnival, in the … Continue reading
Lots of Nothing, Nicely Packaged Offill, Jenny (2014). Dept. of Speculation. New York: Vintage (177 pp.) The first 100 pages are almost entirely devoid of content, making this a 77 page “novel.” What chutzpah and what a great marketing job … Continue reading
Deadpan Originality Portis, Charles (1999). The Dog of the South. New York: The Overlook Press (256 pp). I enjoyed the utter originality of Portis’ sentences. How does anybody spin out such interesting details that do not have the stink of … Continue reading
A Wisp of a Tale Doerr, Anthony (2014). All the Light We Cannot See. New York: Scribner (530 pp). This novel is is composed of dozens upon dozens of short, one-to-five-page chapters of very digestible, easy to absorb, pleasantly written … Continue reading