What I've Read Lately

DOUBLE FEATURE by Owen King - I didn't realize when I picked this book out at the library that the author is Stephen King's son. Once discovered, I tried not to let that influence my evaluation.  It turned out to be relatively easy because although the literary gene certainly passed down the family tree, Owen has his own unique voice that stands aparts from his dad's creepy one.  I enjoyed this novel, even if the pile up of coincidences at the end was a bit much. Sam, the hero of Double Feature, is a well developed character who keeps getting in the way of his own happiness. He feels short changed by his parents divorce, a father he both sort of emulates and is unable to connect with, the early death of his mother whose only sin was loving an unworthy man, and the mutilation of his directorial debut. You want Sam to move on, achieve some measure of closure, accept the imperfections of loved ones, make another movie, get the girl. But for much of the story he is determined to stick with the one thing he has mastered above all - the art of brooding. Enough quirkiness and amusement is scattered about the pages to prevent Sam's journey from feeling especially somber. The narrative often feels directionless, which may bother some readers but I don't find to be a negative trait in a book so long as the writing is strong and engaging. When someone is trying to figure out who they are and what they want to do with the life they've been given, a certain amount of meandering about is inevitable. I was reminded of the movie Garden State, which is a good thing as I'm quite fond of that movie.  Events of great impact have already taken place, an unknown future of vague promise lies ahead, but the moment at hand seems to mostly be about hanging around and waiting, no longer a child but perhaps not quite an adult, probably stalling. I was also reminded in a more superficial manner of one of my favorite movies, Cinema Paradiso. Like that wonderful film, Double Feature is in large part on ode to the movies. Whether it's an intellectual art house film or a campy cult classic or a Hollywood blockbuster with dazzling special effects, we accept the enjoyment that movies have to give us for a couple hours in dark rooms and then we return to the real world. Loose ends tend to be tied up by the time credits roll. Epiphanies have been reached. We walk away satisfied that events came full circle and we return to our own lives where things don't need to conform to rhyme or reason. They just are. I look forward to Owen King's next book and to seeing what direction his literary career will take. It's off to a fine start.

CANADA by Richard Ford - Richard Ford takes his sweet time building up to the details of events that he reveals at the very beginning of this novel.  The leisurely trips to "the bank robbery" and then a much shorter one to "the murders" are enjoyed because of Ford's masterly, non-pretentious use of language. This book isn't about crime and/or punishment. Despite the title it isn't even about Canada. It's simply a story about making due with what you have, moving on from what takes place, looking back on what once was, ever watchful for what may come to be. Canada is a chronicle of what happens to every single one of us. Life.

FREEMAN by Leonard Pitts, Jr. - A fantastic book. Readers will empathize with the well developed characters. History buffs fascinated by the Civil War time period will be enthralled. Those who take great interest in this nation's troublesome history of race relations will be deeply drawn in, and on numerous occasions will shake their head at the realization that centuries old truths stubbornly remain valid to this day. Those in eternal search for bittersweet love stories should immediately add Freeman to their reading list. The only bone I had to pick with it is that in order for certain events to go the way the author intended them to, there were a couple instances of characters leaving incriminating evidence lying conveniently around, allowing for trails that otherwise would have gone cold to remain hot. I temporarily felt the presence of Leonard Pitts Jr. directing the narrative when this happened. "No way she doesn't toss that newspaper in the fire immediately" I may have said aloud at one point near the end of this riveting story. This is the closest thing I found to a flaw in an otherwise wonderful novel. From its first sentence to the last, it packs a powerful motional punch. Bravo to a job well done.

SNUFF by Chuck Palahniuk - As with another of my favorite authors, Tom Robbins, when you're reading a Chuck Palahniuk book you know you're reading something that nobody else could have written. With a book like Snuff, Palahniuk may be the only person who would ever want to write such a thing.  It's not for everybody, that's for sure. The stuff of genius never is.  Pornography itself is more socially acceptable than in depth examination of it from outsider perspective. Palahniuk dives all the way in and the readers emerge from it covered in...insight about the underbelly of commonplace human desires.  What did you think I was going to say?  When all is said and done, Snuff probably won't rank among my most favorite Palahniuk novels. I'm near the beginning of my journey through his catalog. But Snuff is most definitely riveting and, even considering the immense popularity of Fight Club, this may end up being the most memorable of his works.

HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE by J.K. Rowling - As fascinated as my daughter (who this book was read aloud to) is by all things wizard, Rowling has a tendency to be wordy when incorporating a ton of information along with drama into scenes. These passages turned off my 7-year old. I found them a tad dry myself, but I'm a stubborn reader and refuse to skip over anything. This wasn't the case so much with the first two Harry Potter installments, but the end of #3 dragged somewhat with considerable explaining dialogue. Still, it's one thing for a book to have an excessively wordy ending, by which point you're fully committed to making it to the finish line. It's another thing to start off in such a manner. Glancing at other online reviews it seems my wife, my daughter and I are not the first ones to find the World Cup scene in Goblet of Fire rather tedious. Eventually it picks up steam. Things also start taking a turn for the dark & grown-up in this installment of the series, so it will be the last one I read aloud to my daughter. Perhaps she will return to it on her own some day. As for me, I'll probably just watch the movies to see how it all turns out for Harry and company. The onscreen adaptations do a pretty good job of leaving out Rowling's explanatory rambling and cutting to the chase. I hear she's doing some Hogwarts based screenplay writing now. I suppose she has a pretty good idea by this point of what to include on paper to give readers the richest experience, and what is best left on the editing room floor to keep fidgety viewers on the edge of their seats.

THIS IS HOW YOU LOSE HER by Junot Diaz - A fine follow-up to Oscar Wao. Not nearly as ambitious, which is fine, because that might have meant waiting a decade or so for another book from Diaz. He's much too good a writer to make us wait that long again. This is How You Lose Her (love the title) is basically a series of scenes, collection of short stories on the same theme, rather than a novel. One might say it's Drown II, featuring a character from his Pulitzer Prize winning novel rather than his debut work. If you have the time you may devour this book in a single sitting. His prose goes down easy and resonates long after you've read the last page. No synopsis required because the title tells you all you need to know.

Response to Garrison Keillor's position that: When everyone's a writer, no one is

In this article Garrison Keillor bemoans the current and future state of publishing which has been inundated by self published authors. Since I happen to be a self published author (as well as one who has sold rights to my writing to publishers, thus putting me on both sides of fence) it may surprise you to learn that I in large part agree with the premise of Mr. Keillor's article. I didn't even need to be invited to a fancy Tribeca rooftop party surrounded by literary bigwigs each preening like the only rooster in a henhouse to reach the same conclusions. As it happens I was raised a lot closer to Tribeca than the windswept plains of Keillor's childhood, but like him I grew up in awe of real deal "book people". He has a number of years on me, but I too am old enough to recall the days of mailing a manuscript (even if not one typed on a manual typewriter) in a manila envelope with actual postage stamps on it, then hoping that I would eventually find a much smaller envelope in my mailbox with an acceptance letter in it. When Keillor writes "These are anti-elitist times, when mobs are calling for the downfall of pointy-head intellectuals who dare tell decent people what to think, but I admire the elite", I'm right there with him. Just as I watch NBA contests on TV rather than pick-up basketball in the park because my desire is to see the best of the best elevating it from a game to an art form, so too do I want to read the work of authors standing head and shoulder above the average person who may happen to own a pen and paper and have the ability to put down words, but surely this alone does not qualify one for the distinguished title of WRITER.

Self publishing has always been an option for those diligent enough to write a story to completion, but until recently it was not overwhelmingly commonplace. Once technological advances brought about the existence of publishing on demand, in essence allowing people to cost effectively print as small a quantity as one copy, the ballgame permanently changed and everyone who wanted in could become a player. The need to hone one's craft in order to write so impressively that it was inevitable they'd land an agent and then a publishing deal simply vanished. It's still a goal for many of course, but not a need for all. Now a person can write any old pile of gibberish, no editor ever need intervene with pesky suggestions or sound advice not to quit one's day job, and within a few mouse clicks they can become the published author of an electronic and/or printed book. Garrison Keillor laments this condition and expresses nostalgia for the days when only the chosen few were anointed by a passing of the torch, and his point is a valid one. Yet there are some critical issues he does not bother to make mention of, such as the fact that far before the irreverent emergence of self publishing, traditional publishing had fallen down on the job and made a mockery of its role.

The days I personally miss even though I didn't live during them are not when Garrison Keillor was getting his earliest books published, but further back in time when the primary goal of publishers was to find great talent and provide a platform for unique voices to make their marks upon the world of literature. Doing so typically led to the other necessary goal - making a profit. I'm talking about an era when publishing was not mostly about following whatever the latest hot trend was in order to make a quick buck. The mindset was not - Harry Potter is selling well so let's publish a ton of wizard books for teens. Oh wait, the Twilight series has caught on so let's publish a bunch of books about teen vampires. Hold up, it turns out people really like Swedish detectives now and Stieg Larrson is no longer around to write them, so let's round up as many imitators as can be found until the next trend emerges. And as for readers of color, in between Terry McMillan releases perhaps we'll publish a few other tan writers who do the most remarkable job of writing as similarly to Terry as humanly possible.

But the thing is, there are many examples, many many examples, I really could go on and on listing them, which show that in addition to being the realization of Mr. Keillor's worst fears, self publishing has resulted in the voices of remarkable authors being discovered by appreciative readers. It has also resulted in less remarkable authors with equally remarkable success stories nonetheless - such as the legions of soccer moms who bought copies of 50 Shades of Grey.  One might have to pick through some less than stellar work when reading books by self published authors to find the most enriching gems. But you know what - the same exact thing can be said about those who only read books put out by corporate publishers. And while big houses are mostly looking to sign the next writer and book that conforms to whatever the latest trend may be, many of the writers publishing themselves are demonstrating originality with their prose rather than going out of their way to write about a Swedish detective on the trail of a teenage vampire (hey, I might be on to something here) in order to grab an editor's attention and avoid their pile of slush.

In the end it doesn't matter whether a new title is put out by Random House or Fred's laptop, just as it doesn't really matter whether you end up reading it on your iPad or as a paperback. It doesn't matter if a writer attracts an audience by becoming a master of social media or has the luxury of sitting back and letting a big company's marketing department do the bulk of the heavy lifting so he can focus on what he is supposed to be best at - writing. No difference is made whether you find out about a book because of a New York Times book review, an online review written by the average Joe or Josephine, a book blog composed in a college dorm room or homemaker's den, from a video trailer unearthed while surfing the internet, or because the cover caught your eye while you walked past a shelf in a brick and mortar shop. What matters is that there are still talented writers out there willing to pour their blood, sweat and tears on to a page, then hope that somehow, in some way, that page in some format manages to make its way before your eyes. After that, let you the reader be jury and judge who decides if the story is worthy enough to make its way into your heart.

Those who love Stephenie Meyer's Twilight books and can't wait for the next one to come out need not worry because every major publisher in existence will put out several Twilight-like titles for your enjoyment until the next installment of the real deal is ready. As for those who are looking for a great new literary discovery, an original rather than a purposeful copy, you'll find that traditional publishers are still putting out some of those too. But since they aren't guaranteed money makers, in any given year more books fitting this description will be written than will be published by industry giants. No need for concern though, because in this day and age the Everyman can build his own platform to showcase the fruit of his labor, and once built adventurous readers just may come and decide for themselves if the time has arrived to end the current trend and begin the new one.

- Roy Pickering (Author of Patches of Grey: A Novel written with all I had in me to give)

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Reminder: I'll be one of the authors meeting and greeting and wine-ing and cheesing at Sparta Books on July 29th in Sparta, NJ. The event runs from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30. Hope to see you there.

Bring on the Bestsellers

Several years ago a novel entitled The Bridges of Madison County burst upon the literary scene and clung to its position atop the Bestseller list with a tenacity that was the envy of barnacles everywhere. Eventually a movie adaptation was made that also became a big hit. A commonly expressed sentiment at the time was that the movie was better than the book. Considering that the film starred Meryl Streep and was directed by Clint Eastwood, this was not necessarily an insult. But in many cases it was intended as one because a great deal of people felt that the book was not very good. If you were at all pretentious about the quality of literary fiction, chances are you were on the bandwagon that jeered at the overwhelming success of Robert J. Waller's novel. I myself didn't weigh in because to date I've yet to read the book. I did watch and enjoy the film it inspired. But it was nonetheless fascinating to observe such love-it or hate-it attitudes towards a popular novel. No title becomes a Bestseller for such an extended period of time without a considerable amount of positive word of mouth. Yet in certain circles the word of mouth regarding The Bridges of Madison County was absolutely poisonous. A co-worker of mine at the time told me that she went so far as to tear the pages out one at a time and feed them to the flames in her fireplace. Yikes!

Any book that lures millions of people to purchase and read and recommend it must have its merits, and talent accompanies luck behind the creation of the lucrative beast. This doesn't mean it's a great work of art. Masterpieces usually sell respectably at best, though they continue to sell for decades or longer after first going into print. The titles that grace the top of bestseller lists each year tend not to be critic's darlings, but rather, books that for some reason or another demonstrate mass appeal. It turns out that the masses, even with the efforts of Oprah to broaden the range of bookclub selections across the land, are not in search of the Great American Novel that may prompt them to re-evaluate their lives and help broaden their minds. Many people simply long to be entertained, to be taken as far away from the drudgery of their ordinary lives as a fantastical tale can accomplish. Therefore the greatest successes in publishing fiction over the past several years have been books featuring wizards, vampires, and conspiracy theories on a monumental scale. We don't encounter characters and situations like these in our day to day experiences, so when the right story comes along at the right time and transports us, the public is anxious to devour it.

My guess is that those who once derided the success of The Bridges of Madison County would gladly welcome it back if its return meant the banishment of more recent blockbusters such as the Harry Potter series, the Stephenie Meyers Twilight books, and Dan Brown's Vatican capers. None of them are masquerading as high art, and they don't even promise to make you lose weight, yet they sold like discount Crocs and iPods. Middle schoolers appear to be the targeted demographic for these books, particularly the writing of Rowling and Meyers, and they not only managed to hit adolescent bulls eye but also pulled a great deal of adult readers along for the ride. Are we witnessing signs of the downfall of civilization? Isn't one of the main benefits of reading to become more cultured and sophisticated via the experience? Does so called serious literature have a chance to flourish in this massive wave of lit-lite? Or is it ultimately a good thing that reading novels, even if only certain titles by a small select group of obscenely fortunate authors, has become a popular trend alongside reality television and Twitter? Since the teenage years are largely about following trends, surely reading each of the Harry Potter books is a preferable habit to smoking or drug use or promiscuity. A nation of vampire obsessed teens with books in hand will presumably lead to a brighter future than will a generation rendered illiterate by hand held electronic game systems. It took a lot longer for reading books by portable electronic device to become a reality than for portable electronic video games to become commonplace, but the time did eventually come and Harry Potter no doubt played a significant role in this development.

So I say bring on the International Bestsellers, even if they tend to be books I probably won't read (for the record I did read the first Harry Potter book and each of Dan Brown's books prior to his latest, but have not read anything by Stephenie Meyers yet), even if they are rarely books that will go on to be taught in English class as examples of literature that stands the test of time. One of the unavoidable realities of the publishing industry is that the hits are largely responsible for financing the more critically acclaimed endeavors that make much smaller but perhaps farther reaching splashes. Flashy but ultimately forgettable books will continue to dominate mainstream attention spans for short runs, but so long as great novels on significant themes are still being written and published and eventually gaining recognition as classics, the greater good will be served. If not, if by the time my three year old daughter reaches high school age they are teaching Harry Potter and Twilight in English class rather than 1984, Lord of the Flies, Catcher in the Rye, and contemporary entries to the canon, then I'll know beyond the shadow of all doubt that it's time to home school.

- Roy Pickering (author of Patches of Grey)

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p.s. - After writing this editorial I learned about the publication of Sarah Gray's WUTHERING BITES, a retelling of Wuthering Heights in which Heathcliff is a vampire. Perhaps the downfall of civilization has been kick started after all.

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Harry Potter Mania

As a publishing phenomenon, I find the extraordinary success of the Harry Potter series of books (and movies, including the spinoffs...and live theater versions, and next up, the HBO TV Series) pretty interesting. As an avid devourer of fiction, I was unable to resist reading the first book to see what all the fuss was about. I found it to be a fairly enjoyable read [see below for what I had to say at Roy's Book Reviews], but by no means life altering. If I had read it when I was 10 years old, perhaps I would have been fully caught up in the Elvis/Beatles/Menudo-like mania (I simply could not resist a Menudo reference). But as an adult, and an author, it is beyond my comprehension why these books have become quite as popular as they have. I found nothing between the covers of the first one to be especially unique or ground breaking. To me it simply seemed to be engaging young adult fantasy fiction, well enough written to find a wide audience for sure, but not to inspire a literary revolution. If a single kid picks up a book to read that he would not otherwise have done because the Harry Potter titles make reading "cool", then it is a revolution that I wholeheartedly endorse even if I can't quite understand it. Yet as a writer who for years worked 9-5 in publishing and tries to keep abreast of what's going on in the industry, I do find it baffling that while J.K. Rowling makes an obscene amount of money due to one of the greatest jobs of marketing I've ever witnessed, there is a substantial amount of quality literature being written that cannot find homes at mainstream publishers or an audience of significant size. This I find to be a shame, not that anyone in particular is necessarily to blame for it. We simply happen to live in a world that celebrates mass appeal mediocrity over thought provoking brilliance. The phenomenon of Harry Potter makes about as much sense to me as people refusing to get bored of American Idol or young girls being allowed to wear pajama pants to school. But since we also live in a time of rapidly decreasing literacy, with the culture of long form reading [anything longer than a tweet] declining at a rapid rate (excluding bibliophile nerds mostly attracted to particular genres/tropes/authors who have turned speed reading into a game scored on social media sites such as Instagram and TikTok), let me repeat that I am in favor of anything and everything that glamourizes books. Especially the ink on paper variety. And since these days J.K. Rowling mostly makes news for letting us know how much she loathes the concept of Trans people, I welcome attention being brought back to her amusement park enhancing book franchise where it belongs.

 

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