Feb 15, 2010
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Web Pick of the Week |
 Us: Americans Talk About Love Edited by John Bowe. FSG/Faber and Faber, $16 paper (448p) ISBN 9780865479296Reviving the format of his 2001 Gig: Americans Talk About Their Jobs, author and journalist Bowe surveyed Americans of all ages and backgrounds for their thoughts on romance. Beginning with the prompt, “Please tell me about the person you have loved the most,” each interview illustrates love as unique to its beholder. Love strikes one respondent in a rehab center, another during a crystal meth binge, another in the killing fields of Cambodia, another in the aftermath of divorce; love also proves its dominion over class differences, natural disasters (like hurricane Katrina), disease (like Alzheimers), and even death. While the more dramatic stories will likely stick with readers longest, plenty of accounts chronicling the deep, gentle bonds of long-lived romance, or the intense burn of young love, strike satisfying chords. Bowe allows each of his subjects the space to tell their stories, and each one proves compelling in itself, while showing that love is indeed a many-splendored (and many-splintered) thing, hard to pin down and often unexpected. Though timed conspicuously for Valentine’s gift-giving, this hard-to-put-down take on love is surprisingly substantial. (Jan.) |
NONFICTION 2010 State of the World: Transforming Cultures from Consumerism to Sustainability The Emperor’s New Drugs: Exploding the Antidepressant Myth Love Letters of Great Women A New American Tea Party: The Counterrevolution Against Bailouts, Handouts, Reckless Spending, and More Taxes Notes From the Cracked Ceiling: Hillary Clinton, Sarah Palin, and What It Will Take for a Woman to Win Predicting the Unpredictable: The Tumultuous Science of Earthquake Prediction The Abyss of Human Illusion Cold to the Touch Eat When You Feel Sad
In this year’s volume, the D.C.-based Worldwatch Institute think-tank considers, in several dozen pieces, how “cultures of consumption” can be transformed into “cultures of sustainability.” Many ideas take inspiration from diverse traditions: religions can be called upon to embrace their own deepest values and renounce materialism, while establishing new holidays, rituals and taboos incorporating strategies for sustainability (Earth Day, “Green funerals,” new days of fasting, etc.); practices honoring elders as transmitters of ancient wisdom can be spread beyond regions where they still thrive (Africa, India, etc.); thousand-year-old Asian farming methods can be revived. Ideas for restructuring education include replacing the “Three Rs” with the “Seven Rs” (“reduce, reuse, recycle, respect, reflect, repair, and responsibility”) and emphasizing “environmental education” in higher learning. The largest-scale changes include shifting societal goals from “maximizing growth of the market economy to maximizing sustainable human well being”; ensuring that the burden of reduced production falls on the wealthiest, not the poorest; and building sustainable cities like Vauban, a 5,000-household German community that uses 100 percent renewable energy. Though many solutions in this visionary volume require a pie-in-the-sky “whole Earth community” legal system prioritizing “the right to life” over “the right to conduct business,” it should give leaders and laypeople much to consider. (Jan.)
Angry Fat Girls: 5 Women, 500 Pounds, and a Year of Losing It… Again
Frances Kuffel. Berkley, $23.95 (336p) ISBN 9780425232187
Columnist, poet and short story writer Kuffel spent 42 years morbidly overweight before losing 188 pounds, which she chronicled in 2004’s Passing for Thin: Losing Half My Weight and Finding My Self. In this follow-up, she recounts the story of gaining back half of that weight and beginning anew her struggle to find herself, this time with the help of an online “Angry Fat Girls” club, including four other women who have each learned the same disheartening lesson: “nobody who gets thin gets rid of their problems.” Kuffel’s narrative of rededication is a skilled blend of insight (the psychology of being overweight, the “literary paradigms of the chubby heroine”) and emotion (“It is a lonely state, the fat woman and the food and her groaning, aching, widening body”) that never flags in intimacy, honesty, or compassion. With keen humor and disarming skill, Kuffel introduces readers to the most private moments of the five women, whose addictive relationships with food make regular nourishment a constant nightmare of temptation. Though separated for most of the story, the members of the club eventually meet up in New York City for a conclusion that should prove unforgettable for anyone who has struggled with self esteem or addiction issues. (Jan.)
Broker, Trader, Lawyer, Spy: The Secret World of Corporate Espionage
Eamon Javers. Harper Business, $26.99 (320p) ISBN 9780061697203
The tools and tricks once used in the name of geopolitics have increasingly been applied to the private sector, according to this engaging overview of the rise of corporate espionage. With the end of the Cold War, spies on both sides of the Iron Curtain discovered there was money to be made renting out their skills to clients in such fields as pharmaceuticals, banking, and agriculture. Although the historical sections can drag in places, the book gathers steam every time Javers turns his focus to the technologies that have moved the field forward. From early wiretaps to the use of satellites, the author expertly explains how spies help clients sabotage corporate competitors or buy and sell stocks based on expected fluctuations in the price of corn. Generally more interested in strategy and gadgets than the ethical components of spying, the book flirts with painting a romantic picture of the profession before noting the less-than-glamorous occupations of corporate spies, including participating in the battle for supremacy in the pet food market. (Feb.)
The China Strategy: Harnessing the Power of the World’s Fastest-Growing Economy
Edward Tse. Basic, $26.95 (288p) ISBN 9780465018253
Tse, chairman of Booz & Co., Greater China, offers a comprehensive and worthwhile roadmap for doing business in China, a burgeoning market that can’t be ignored. Tse argues convincingly that even companies that are already successfully doing business there will find themselves inadequately prepared for the new China, which is generating great scale change. Business leaders around the world who want to be successful will need a new strategy, which includes devising a long-range development plan for doing business as a global enterprise in which China is a central and integrated component. Tse shows how China has restructured its entire economy within the past few years and offers a holistic, invaluable view of the Chinese business environment, looking at consumers, competitive enterprises, the government, and more. Given the great complexities of the Chinese market, the wealth of knowledge Tse imparts will be indispensable to executives looking to enter in the Chinese marketplace. (Mar.)
The Cleanest Race: How the North Koreans See Themselves—and Why it Matters
B.R. Myers. Melville, $24.95 (200p) ISBN 9781933633916
A particularly nasty strain of racist propaganda has enabled North Korea’s dictatorship to maintain power, according to this fascinating cultural survey. An American-born, South Korea-based instructor of North Korean literature, Myers (A Reader’s Manifesto) combines his cultural and linguistic fluency with sharp analysis to throw light on one of the world’s most closed-off cultures. Examining North Korean books, news broadcasts, and films, Myers finds that the country’s supremacist propaganda can be traced to imperial Japan, which sought to convince Koreans that they were part of the “world’s purest race.” Myers acidly discredits Western interpretations of North Korea as “hard-line communist” or “Confucian,” noting the prevalence of maternal rather than paternal imagery and the societal scorn for the former Soviet bloc. Esoteric cultural markers—e.g., the heavy use of flashbacks in film and literature—are mined for compelling clues to the North Korean sensibility. Myers’ greatest feat is his explanation of how the regime has maintained power despite its failures in almost every area of governance—how it has convinced average North Korean citizens that shipments of U.S. food aid, for example, are actually reparations for past “Yankee” crimes. A sharp and smart introduction to one of the world’s most secretive societies. (Feb.)
Emotional Branding: The New Paradigm for Connecting Brands to People
Marc Gobé. Allworth, $19.95 (352p) ISBN 9781581156720
Proclaiming that business success in the 21st century depends on “how a brand comes to life for people and forges a deeper, lasting connection,” designer and branding consultant Gobé (BrandJam) presents a thorough update to his 2001 guide to engaging with consumers “on the level of the senses and emotions.” Among other techniques, Gobé prescribes a divide-and-conquer approach to demographic appeal: African-Americans respond to respect and personal contact; Women, the “new Shoppers in Chief,” require “products, ads, and businesses that are without comparisons to a man’s world”; Generations X and Y answer appeals to individuality and authenticity, respectively. He also emphasizes simple but easy-to-overlook strategies for enticing the five senses: Apple’s use of color was one of the principal reasons for the brand-rehabilitating success of its original iMac; Acoustiguides, the headsets used by museums to guide visitors through exhibits, could be the next hot megastore shopping aid. At times, Gobé’s enthusiasm for shopping (he considers it an art, and looks forward to the integration of theme parks and shopping malls) seems a bit over the top, but his passion should prove highly useful to marketers looking for smart and imaginative ways to bond with consumers. (Jan.)
When he began a new research project on antidepressants and placebos (a “meta-analysis” of a large number of published studies), practicing psychotherapist and research psychologist Kirsch (How Expectancies Shape Experience) was surprised to uncover evidence that inadequate supervision by the FDA had allowed pharmaceutical companies to cherry-pick test results for publication and submission to the feds, suppressing unwanted outcomes; further, apparent evidence of active drugs’ effectiveness when compared to placebos could often be attributed to patients correctly guessing which group they were in based on the side effects (or the lack thereof) they had come to expect in conjunction with anti-depressants. When his results were published in early 2008, Kirsch was surprised to find himself and his research the subject of front page newspaper stories, TV and radio coverage, and a vigorous debate in the medical community that continues to this day. Writing with a broad audience in mind, Kirsch expands on this important topic in a lively style with clear, cogent explanations of the science involved, and many examples of the differences between solid and flawed research. The result is a fascinating book with broad implications for science policy. (Jan.)
Fascinate: Your 7 Trigger to Persuasion and Captivation
Sally Hogshead. Harper Business, $26.99 (288p) ISBN 9780061714702
Brand executive Hogshead (Radical Careering) argues that exploiting certain “triggers” can boost relationships with customers, employees, and friends. Fascination is ultimately an instinctive drive that catalyzes countless behaviors, including purchasing decisions. Outlining seven triggers which “bring meaning to all types of otherwise meaningless scenarios,” the author reveals how powerful brands like FedEx, Walt Disney World Theme Park and W Hotels combine such triggers as lust, power, mystique, and trust in different proportions to reel in consumers or reinforce messaging. Despite an uneven start, this slight but practical work packs a big punch. (Feb.) I.O.U.: Why Everyone Owes Everyone and No One Can Pay
John Lanchester. Simon & Schuster, $25 (272p) ISBN 9781439169841
With clarity and a conversational style often (sometimes deliberately) lacking in the financial industry and its coverage, British journalist Lanchester (The Debt to Pleasure) takes readers on a comprehensive global tour of 2008’s economic meltdown, focusing on each guilty parties’ contributions to—and missed opportunities to halt—the worldwide crisis. Starting with the political buildup and then marching through the field of “banksters,” regulators, mortgage companies and everyone else in a position to know better, Lanchester illustrates exactly how loans from predatory and incompetent players wound up being sold as triple-A investments, and how a subsequent housing market dip toppled the financial system. By prioritizing the financial sector and tenets of laissez-faire capitalism (to the point that it “became a kind of secular religion”), those in charge of the markets failed to identify the growing systemic dangers; meanwhile, those responsible to the public acted as if benefits for financial institutions also benefited every economic participant, no matter how small. Laypeople seeking to understand the crisis, and what it means for their own bank account, will find Lanchester’s volume an oasis of understanding in a sea of partisan spin and convoluted financial language. (Jan.)
In this follow-up to Love Letters of Great Men, veteran editor Doyle mines six centuries for the romantic correspondence of extraordinary women. The earliest letter comes from Lady Joan Pelham in 1399, tactfully explaining to her husband why he must abandon his fight against Richard II to protect against immediate threats at home. Tragic letters from both Katherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn confess their love for Henry VIII, who would eventually banish one and execute the other. Lord Byron provides the subject for more than one letter, illuminating his tangle of relationships, and other letters do the same for William Wordsworth and Robert Schuman. Revealing letters include Queen Victoria’s, exposing her cloying relationship with Prince Albert; and a letter from Emily Dickinson to her sister-in-law and long-time companion, Susan Gilbert. Doyle enriches her collection with succinct but insightful background notes, though her selections are primarily from Europe, with only a few American representatives (Abigail Adams, Edith Wharton, and Dickinson), and none from the rest of the world. (Dec.)
Free-market think tank P.R. man O’Hara, a veteran of political campaigns and the latter Bush administration, provides an informative rundown of the populist Tea Party movement he helped create, including a chronicle of its emergence and a breakdown of its methods and goals. Denying similarities to past populism (which directed anger at corporations), or the current state of the GOP (where “fair-weather dedication to capitalism [is] all too common”), O’Hara declares the Tea Party a standard bearer for the Reagan revolution: “opposed to vast government expansion, huge spending, entitlements, and intervention.” Crying tyranny, O’Hara predictably draws parallels between the Obama administration’s financial policies and those that led to the original Boston Tea Party, but also castigates Republican leaders like John McCain (ignorant of free-market principles), the Bushes (closet liberals), and Newt Gingrich (whose mid-1990s “revolution” was a mirage). O’Hara spends much time dissecting the sins of the Left (which “wants to take, control, and distribute as it sees fit”), and doesn’t minimize the contention between Tea Party-style libertarianism and pseudo-Right neoconservativism. Anyone looking for a cogent explanation of this year’s most visible grassroots political movement will find this a clear-headed, though highly opinionated, insider’s account. (Jan.)
Revisiting recent political campaigns led by women, Washington Post White House correspondent Kornblut measures the progress of female politicians and wonders whether, with women filling just 23 percent of statewide and 17 percent of Congressional offices, the political gender gap can ever be closed. Beginning with the campaigns of Hillary Clinton and Sarah Palin, Kornblut examines the consequences of candidates’ choices amidst the conflicting demands of gender politics and personality politics: Clinton embraced toughness until it overshadowed her maternal appeal; she then exposed her vulnerability, famously crying on the campaign trail, only to be condemned for weakness and insincerity. Palin managed to balance strength and sensitivity, but her weak grasp of the current events proved the electorate’s worst assumptions. Kornblut follows with other, more successful campaigns, including Janet Napolitano, former governor of Arizona; House Speaker Nancy Pelosi; and California gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman, one of the few businesswomen ever to run for office. Through research and original interviews, Kornblut recounts scandals, strategies, and skepticism on the trail, and also sources a number of female operatives. More historical context would have helped illustrate change (and its lack) in the electoral landscape, but Kornblut’s dedicated fieldwork makes a strong microanalysis of the political moment. (Jan.)
On a Dollar a Day: One Couple’s Unlikely Adventures in Eating in America
Christopher Greenslate and Kerri Leonard. Hyperion, $15.99 paper (224p) ISBN 9781401310189
Struck by the fact that people worldwide subsist on a dollar a day (or even less), San Diego high school teachers Greenslate and Leonard decided to see how well they could feed themselves on a similar budget. After establishing some ground rules (no accepting donations, any guests must eat from the one-dollar-each supply), the couple make a month-long experiment of eating as well as they can, with as much variety as possible, on a dollar each per day. Taking turns telling their story, it quickly becomes apparent that the cumulative effect of the diet—tortillas, rice and beans, and desserts like a spoonful of peanut butter—is increased stress, more fights, health problems, and (of course) hunger. Even when they increase their budget to better reflect the state of the American poor ($4.13 per day each), they still find it a struggle to stay nourished. Anecdotes on class, race, America’s reliance on corn, and thoughtful epilogues on budgeting and fighting hunger give the book political and practical value, making it a sobering, personal consideration of hunger and poverty worldwide and in our own neighborhoods. (Feb.)
Pictures of the Mind: What the New Neuroscience Tells Us About Who We Are
Miriam Boleyn-Fitzgerald. Prentice Hall/Financial Times, $25.99 (180p) ISBN 9780137155163
Over the past decade, a revolution in medical imaging has allowed researchers to scan the brain of subjects in situ, while setting their minds to an assigned task. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and positron emission tomography (PET) are revealing, among other discoveries, that the brain of some apparently vegetative patients can be active; the brain’s ability to heal and grow well beyond what was previously believed; and the various centers of different behaviors and skills. Physicist and science writer Boleyn-Fitzgerald addresses brain injury, addiction, memory, meditation, and more with summaries of recent research, cogent explanations of what scientists are learning, and plentiful references. Fascinatingly, she illustrates how “[k]notty questions about morality, blame, and punishment provide abundant raw material for brain researchers,” who can assess, for instance, “whether ‘normal’ brains are wired for altruism and cooperation.” Boleyn-Fitzgerald writes in a clear voice, making scientific data engaging and accessible for anyone with an interest in the study of neurology, mindfulness, or behavior. (Feb.)
Though written before the catastrophe in Haiti, U.S. Geological Survey geophysicist Hough presents a look at the history of earthquake prediction, explaining why true prediction in the short term remains impossible, that sheds timely light on the intractable potential for seismic disaster. Hough begins in the heady 1960s and ’70s, when top researchers still believed that real-time earthquake prediction was within reach. Hough describes theorized earthquake precursors—including electrical conductivity changes in the crust (magnetotellurics), groundwater fluctuations, high- and low-frequency sound waves, and anomalous animal behavior—and global efforts to exploit them for timely predictions; unfortunately, none have proved consistent. To this point, Hough contrasts the famous prediction of the 1975 earthquake in Haicheng, China, with the 1976 Tangshan (China) earthquake, which occurred with no warning and killed upwards of 250,000. Closer to home, an earthquake along the San Andreas fault predicted by the USGS in 1988 didn’t materialize until 2004; many geophysicists now believe the best they can do is forecast areas of high probability over decades. Hough concludes that the best way to save lives is through strict construction standards, careful geological evaluation of building sites, and public education, techniques that remain sadly out of reach for the developing world. B&W illus. (Jan.)
Varsity Green: A Behind the Scenes Look at Culture and Corruption in College Athletics
Mark Yost. Stanford, $24.95 (208p) ISBN 9780804769693
According to veteran sports-business journalist Yost, there never was a “golden era” of college sports, when gentlemen scholars learned sportsmanship and teamwork; rather, sports have always been a means for colleges to earn money, power, and esteem, too often resulting in illiterate college athletes and corrupt athletic programs. The difference today is the scale: the Rose Bowl, though no longer the highest earning bowl game, generates more than $570 million for the Southern California economy; Nike pays millions in multiyear contracts with universities including Florida State, Michigan, North Carolina, and Illinois; and of the kids who devote their life to a particular sport, less than two percent will have a meaningful professional career. Yost reveals college sports as little more than a “machine that churns out kids for America’s elite basketball, football, and hockey leagues,” sacrificing young people’s futures for big money and bragging rights. At times, Yost seems unsure whether to play the worldly reporter or the wide-eyed innocent, but his report is mostly thorough and largely well-written; conspicuously left out, however, are. the voices of the athletes themselves. Still, this intelligent critique of the U.S. college athletics makes a captivating examination of America’s infatuation with money, celebrity, and sports. (Jan.)
LIFESTYLE
Dining With the Dollar Diva
Elizabeth J. Fisher. Elevator Group (www.theelevatorgroup.com), $15.95 (200p) ISBN 9780982528342
This bewildering guide to dining on the cheap will likely make even the most frugal cooks give up on self-proclaimed “Dollar Diva” Fisher, a single mom and practiced hostess. Relying on dollar stores for most of her ingredients, Fisher offers recipes like Shepherds Pie, hot dogs with kraut, and calzones; each ingredient, from spaghetti sauce to pepperoni to shrimp, is said to cost just a buck at any local dollar store. Assuming they have access to a well-stocked discount grocery, brave readers will be able to assemble Milky Way or Butterfinger Brownies (literally adding the candy bars to a box mix), the unfortunately titled Monte Crisco, or a terrifying Po Boy composed of imitation crab, shrimp, scallops and a can of smoked oysters. Hamstrung by poor grammar, and meandering, frequently incomprehensible anecdotes, and generously padded with blank pages for cooking notes, this book proves about as reliable as bargain-basement shellfish. (Mar.)
Elemental Love Styles: Find Compatibility and Create a Lasting Relationship
Craig Martin. Atria /Beyond Words, $14 paper (288p) ISBN 9781582702568
After struggling with his own love life, L.A.-based spiritual counselor Martin came to this conclusion: “People love in different ways.” To delineate these ways, Martin looked to the four elements of astrology—Air, Fire, Earth, and Water—and found an intuitive system for determining one’s love style, and what that style means in terms of romantic relationships, that he delivers with a game sense of adventure. In broad terms, “Air” indicates a thinker who prioritizes communication; “Earth” types are practical and grounded; “Water” stands for emotion and intuition; and “Fire” is creative and enthusiastic. After filling out a questionnaire to determine one’s core style, readers will find a straightforward, in-depth examination of each elemental type, including strengths and weaknesses, famous examples (Clark Kent and Lucy Ricardo are Airs, Wonder Woman and James Bond are Fires) and a focus on “deeper needs.” Geared toward self-discovery and “Deep Inner Growth,” Martin’s guide discusses intimacy among the types while emphasizing how greater understanding enhances all relationships (not just romance). (Feb.)
FICTION
This fine, final work by Brooklyn native Sorrentino (1929-2006), author of A Strange Commonplace, finds a rueful charm in the “wretched cliché[s]” of ordinary failure. Edited by his son, Christopher Sorrentino, after the author’s death, the novel is comprised of 50 brief, narrative set pieces: a grab bag of memories from childhood, serving in the army, first love, failing marriage, and (presumably) the writer’s own life, alternating with a perplexed and paralyzing present. In one instance, a young working-class husband looks miserably for a sign that will reveal the truth behind his wife’s demeaning treatment of him. In another, two idealistic school friends—one becoming an English teacher, the other an L.A. talent scout—grow estranged over the years due to the perception of the other’s critical scorn. Another piece finds a solitary old man “childless and thrice-divorced,” beginning a catalog of all the grievances of his life until it becomes his sole pursuit, bringing him satisfaction and even “a shabby euphoria.” Sorrentino’s characters take a grim pleasure in stripping life of its illusions. (Feb.)
Outcasts and disaffected loners find their alienated states of mind mirrored in eerie and inexplicable experiences in this noteworthy collection of 13 weird tales, six of which are original to the book. In “Under the Overpass,” the adult narrator revisits the scene of an unspeakably cruel childhood crime and finds dormant compulsions reawakened by what he finds. In “The Other Village,” the growing estrangement between two traveling companions is reflected in the sinister, vacant landscape of a remote island. In the outstanding title tale, a devoutly religious meteorologist finds both his religious faith and scientific reasoning challenged during an Arctic expedition, when the discovery of a strange configuration of alien monoliths suggests the existence of otherworldly forces and phenomena. In each of the stories, Strantzas (Beneath the Surface) deftly establishes ordinary and seemingly innocuous situations that spin out of the characters’ control and always end with an uneasy sense of menace, even when their resolution is ambiguous or cryptic. Readers who prefer subtlety to shocks and suggestion over explicitness in horror fiction will find much to enjoy. (Jan.)
German’s debut novel follows protagonist Robert, an emaciated vegan, through the always relevant trials and tribulations of growing up. German’s writing is comprised entirely of short, staccato sentences: “Robert is riding his bike. He’s wearing a sweater. There is a red light. Robert stops riding his bike.” Through this stylized writing, readers follow Robert from a suburban childhood of listening to records, smoking pot and stealing from a bookstore to his first sexual experience with girlfriend Alison (“Robert and Alison have sex. They finish having sex.”), and finally a move to a nameless city and the unavoidable struggle to find himself. Robert tries kissing guys, making carrot juice, and plenty of drinking and getting stoned, but doesn’t ever find what he’s searching for. The complications of life seem to fly by him with little consequence. The book has many charms, even though German’s minimalist style of writing—clearly mimicking his main character’s view of life—can be a bit daunting. The deadpan delivery does add humor to Robert’s daily routine, and the unromanticized life of a twenty-something hipster is a refreshing change of pace from the usual way that such creatures are portrayed. (Feb.)
Renaissance Festival Tales
Edited by Eric T. Reynolds and Gerri Leen. Hadley Rille (Ingram, dist.), $11.95 paper (184p) ISBN 9780982514023 The Saint Perpetuus Club of Buenos Aires Toads’ Museum of Freaks and Wonders
Five fantasy stories of variable quality make up this thin homage to the Renaissance Faire. Two are delightful little romances: Kim Vandervort’s “Faire Aria” sweetly pairs a dubious visitor and one of the Faire’s denizens, while Julia Dvorin puts an incautious Faire staffer in charge of true love in “Cupid for a Day.” Paula H. Murray’s predictable “Playing with Fire” features poorly characterized role-players who inadvertently attract supernatural forces. M.C. Chambers goes for a period feel with “Silk and Velvet,” in which a king’s messenger swoons over a talented musician. Camille Alexa’s confusing, choppy “The Thief and the Thorn” describes a realm situated among the Ren Faires of five worlds. This volume will help nostalgic “rennies” make it through the cold winter months, but it holds little appeal for a broader audience. (Mar.)
Rockin’ the Bronx
Larry Kirwan. Brandon (Dufour, dist.), $19.95 paper (288p) ISBN 9780863224188
Pitting the lilt of an Irish brogue against the jazzy rhythm of pimps and drug dealers in the Bronx of the early 1980s, Irish-American author and playwright Kirwan (Green Suede Shoes) begins this roman à clef with arresting musicality. Intending to find his girlfriend, Mary, and return with her to Ireland, narrator Sean straps a guitar to his back and heads to New York. Despite his punk pretensions, Sean finds himself woefully unequipped to handle the New World problems that quickly arise: Mary and her new friend Danny are moody and inaccessible, and the unrelenting poverty, drugs, and racial and political tension leave Sean seeking escape in a bottle. As his musical and romantic dreams fade, so does the hopeful vibrancy that had made things bearable. In Sean’s struggle, Kirwan captures a traumatic American moment, when relative innocents were confronting the rising epidemics of crack and AIDS, as well as intractable urban poverty; unfortunately, he drags out Mary and Danny’s mystery afflictions to grating effect. Still, Sean’s sometimes-obtuse narration never fully loses the thumping, violent rhythm of its opening passages. (Feb.)
A chance discovery in the margin notes of an old book opens a young man up to fantastic possibilities in his everyday world in Carlson’s first novel, a freewheeling bibliophilic adventure. Miguel Ibanez is taking a break from his thankless civil service job in a used bookstore in Buenos Aires when he stumbles upon a misshelved translation of Samuel Butler’s Lives of the Saints. Scrawled between the printed lines of the chapter on Saint Perpetuus is an account written in the hand of a modern man, who purports to be the real saint and who claims to have learned how to manipulate time. Miguel’s discovery that Perpetuus wrote the full account of his life and learning across numerous copies of the Butler volume sends him hither and yon throughout the city, seeking copies held by a small cult of collectors dedicated to Perpetuus. Though his obsessive pursuit strains relations with his family and his superiors at work, it introduces him to a lively cast of eccentrics straight out of a Borges story and indoctrinates him into a new awareness of secrets and intrigues about the city hidden to ordinary eyes. Unpredictable and steeped in allusions to classic and contemporary works, this spry exercise in magic realism can be enjoyed as a parable on how our reading transforms our perception of the world. Carlson is also the author of I Remember Julia: Voices of the Disappeared and The Pear Tree: Is Torture Ever Justified?(Jan.)
In Goldbloom’s prize-winning debut, set in 1943, albino Gin is a talented pianist living on a remote Australian farm with her bizarre, elfin husband Toad and their children, far removed from the life she once led in Perth: “I was an evil omen, a pale and hunched ghost whose own mother wouldn’t have warmed her with a kiss.” At 30, Gin is resigned to her lot in life, dictated by a genetic deformity that has kept her from a successful music career and dooms her to feeling like a sideshow act—until Italian prisoners of war arrive and everything changes. Gin identifies more with her newfound friend Antonio than with Toad, whom she had married after just one meeting, figuring no one else would offer. As she learns more about Toad’s predilections, Gin draws closer to Antonio, learning to trust for the first time in her life. Goldbloom’s writing deftly captures Gin’s overwhelming isolation, reinforced by the unforgiving landscape, creating an unusual and haunting tale that will linger in readers’ minds. (Feb.)
Where the Dog Star Never Glows
Tara L. Masih. Press 53 (Ingram, dist.), $14 paper (166p) ISBN 9780982576052
In this 17-story collection, writer and editor Masih (The Rose Metal Press Field Guide to Writing Flash Fiction) examines characters balanced precariously on the edge of contentment and disillusionment. Delicate, sparse prose contributes to the heavy-heartedness of such stories as “Say Bridgitte, Please,” in which sadness overtakes ecstasy during a teenage girl’s sexual encounter with a stranger; and “Asylum,” as a daughter agonizes over her mother’s encroaching madness, and what it means for her own fate. Masih’s first-person narratives are the most riveting, whether assuming the voice of a young girl witnessing her parents’ marriage crumble from the backseat of a 1963 Thunderbird (“Sunday Drives”), or an aging father grieving the death of his friend’s adult daughter in the light of a late-winter bonfire (“The Burnings”). Compiled from two decades of work, Masih’s stories are minimally but skillfully detailed—no last names, vague settings—giving extra weight to simple, recurring phenomena like water and color (“the evening’s August melon light”). Striking and resonant, this collection should prove memorable for any fan of New Yorker-style literary short fiction. (Feb.)
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