cover image Gilbert Green--The Real Right Way to Dress for Spring: A Novel of 1968

Gilbert Green--The Real Right Way to Dress for Spring: A Novel of 1968

Frederick T. Castle. McPherson, $16.95 (241pp) ISBN 978-0-914232-76-6

Castle's previous novel, Anticipation, won praise for experimentalism, wit and wordplay. This novel is perhaps less experimental but certainly less witty and playful in its use of language. Set in 1968 and peopled with many of the New York art scene crowd of that era, such as Andy Warhol and his cohorts, the book is ostensibly about a songwriter, the eponymous Gilbert Green, and the people around him. Castle's admirers will find some literary excitement in his attempts to weave an almost mystical story about Green, told through shifting perspectives and occasional verse. Others may deem it bereft of the imagery and literary life that an unconventional narrative demands. (April 28)