A Little Life. A Big Novel. A Monumental Achievement
925981
Im sitting here completely stunned; overwhelmed by an extraordinary piece of writing. This is not a happy book. This is not an inspiring book. This is a horrifying book; and one of the most profoundly sad stories I have ever read. Yet, this is also one of the most beautiful 700+ pages of prose I have ever encountered.

You know those books about the old college friends who get together after a long time apart and reestablish their close relationships? Well this aint one of those.

You know those stories about the guys who were treated horribly as children but grow to adulthood and finally become well-adjusted adults? Nope. This isn't that either.

You know those BDSM stories that make it seem like the person being beaten or tortured actually enjoys is the pain? This is not that story.

How about the newspaper articles about the abusive priests? Nope, not that.

The Stephen King horror novels? Nope.

The stories with the many plot threads that continually intertwine until you realize they are a work of craftsmanship of the highest order? Now we are getting closer. But this is not that either.

Is this a novel of horror? Maybe. Love? Maybe. The terrors of a horrible childhood? Perhaps. Compassion? Friendship? Adversity? Sexual identity? Child abuse? Genius? Adult adoption? I don't know.

I am not exactly sure what this book is. What I know is that it is so intense, so horrifying, and written with such extraordinarily beautiful craft that I could not possibly read it. Thank God for audible.com.

Hanya Yanagihara has written one of the most extraordinary books I have ever read. Her second novel, A Little Life, tells the horrifying story of Jude St. Francis, A man whose life is so sad and terrible that it is difficult to imagine anyone being treated in a more disgusting and terrifying way then he as a child.

One of the most amazing things about this novel, however, is that this immensely horrifying story is told in such extraordinarily beautiful language that it is almost impossible to believe it is a story of a mans sexual abuse and the result of that abuse on that mans life. It is a sickening story written in one of the most beautiful ways I have ever seen.

I was not joking when I said I could not read this book. Every page would give me nightmares. Fortunately I have been able to listen to the book read by a remarkably astute performer. The Audible Studios production is really wonderful. It is well read, or I really should say well acted, and that is what allowed me to get through it without having to stop every page or two.

Honestly, you can read a lot about the book simply by reading other reviews. I do not know how to draw a line between what I should describe and what I must leave to your imagination. So, it is best that you get your summary from another source. All I would like to do here is to encourage you to look into this truly amazing novel and to consider checking it out. For some of you it may not be as emotionally difficult to read as it was for me. But, whether you read it or listen to it, I strongly encourage you to experience this book.
2213810
The introduction to this excellent Modern Library edition says, "The long journey of Edmond Dantes is one that we should all take at some point in our lives."  I couldn't agree more.  This novel easily ranks among the greatest epics--The Odyssey, Don Quixote, Les Miserables, War & Peace and The Brothers Karamazov come to mind as works of comparable scope and moral grandeur.
My only advice is: set aside some time.  With 1500 pages, a complex web of characters (including many with shifting identities) and more than a few dispensible subplots, this unabridged edition is a challenge--albeit a rewarding one.
The novel tackles all the great themes: war, revolution, love, power, money, justice, evil, God.  But in a word, it's subject is REVENGE.  A good-natured young man of exceptional promise, Edmond Dantes is betrayed by his erstwhile friends, unjustly imprisoned by an ambitious magistrate, and left for dead by the woman he loves.  The first three hundred pages of the story are fast-paced and almost cinematic, from the wrenching scenes of betrayal and imprisonment, down to Dantes' miraculous escape and rebirth as a remarkable new man, the Count of Monte Cristo.
The Count is part 007, part Stoic philosopher.  He'll drop you in a duel, match wits with you in the salon, concoct potions from recipes in a dozen languages, be in three places at once, with three different identities, and exercise a kind of foresight and control over human events that we normally associate with gods and conspiracy theories.  Oh yeah--and he's loaded, too.
Dantes burns with a desire for revenge, but it's an entirely different sort than the Clint Eastwood/Charles Bronson variety.  Instead of blasting his way into Paris with a semi-automatic (or less anachronistically, with a really big sword), Dantes methodically plots the downfall of his enemies using even more lethal weapons: the evil that lurks in their own hearts.
All this takes a long time.  There is a big drop off in intensity in the middle chunk of the novel, as Dumas transitions from the swashbuckling Napoleonic days to a more traditional European novel of manners set in the 1830s.  A whole new set of characters are introduced.  Later, we discover their relationship to Dantes' earlier antagonists--but for a time we are totally at sea.  Meanwhile, Dumas launches various digressions that will occasionally cause the reader to wonder whether he was getting paid by the word (probably).
But don't despair.  The last half of the novel gathers steam like a freight train, as Count of Monte Cristo moves in for the kill.  The suspense builds--not because we wonder whether Dantes will get his revenge, but whether he can avoid turning into a monster in the process.
Ultimately, Dumas offers as sane and humane a message as you can hope for from 1500 pages of injustice and vengeance.  In a novel where fortunes shift, names and titles are granted and extinguished, and identities are transformed on turns of luck, the old Stoic wisdom shines through.  It's not what happens to you, good or bad, but how you respond to it, that determines true virtue in this world.  One suspects this would be true even without an avenging Providence, even if Edmond Dantes' triumph were less complete.
2032841
One of the most influential and important novels ever penned, `Lord of the Flies' may be even more poignant today then when it was initially released.  Telling a very realistic and moving story set in a very unrealistic backdrop `Lord of the Flies' works on almost every level of literature to provide the reader with an all around emotionally gripping experience, and one they won't soon forget.

As a plane carrying a group of young children is shot down during warfare the valuable cargo is spread out over an uninhabited island.  The boys quickly must for their own civilization with only a sliver of hope to ever be found.  The story mainly focuses around three very different boys.  Ralph is the chosen leader, a boy who possesses common sense and an open mind.  Piggy is his self-ordained advisor.  He's the smartest of the boys but the most nervous and thus becomes the easiest target for the ruthless.  Jack is one of the more ruthless, a born leader mostly because of his strong presence.  He immediately attaches himself to the idea of hunting and becomes infatuated with the prospect of spilt blood.

There's a scene in the novel where Ralph and Piggy lament over not having any adult supervision, not having a grownup tell them the course in which they should plot.  Sitting back after reading this impressive classic and one will realize that adult supervision, or lack there of, was not the problem.  The problem was that these boys grew up way too quickly.  The problems that ensued were a direct result of their acting as adults, pursuing leadership and power and respect and authority.  The clashes between Jack and Ralph and Piggy were all over power, over who had the right to rule and who would follow who.

The novel opens with a glimmer of hope, that maybe just maybe with all the innocence in adolescence they may be able to survive in cohabitation without debilitating consequences, but almost immediately those hopes are smashed as the personality traits of the three main characters are uncovered and problems within the group begin to surface.  The conclusion, as grim and tragic as it is, is a conclusion that is almost expected and best left to the readers discovery.

So, with that in mind, I urge you to refrain from reading the introduction (beautifully written by E.M. Forster) or any of the `notes on the text' found in the back for they give away too much of the story and or experience that is best left to self discovery.  After you've finished the novel though, I encourage you to take a few minutes and read over what others have to say about the brilliance that is `Lord of the Flies'.  It will enlighten you and help you better appreciate and understand this novel as William Golding intended.  `Lord of the Flies' is classic for a reason.  It's brilliant literature with meaning for all of us today.  As we all may know full well, there's a lot we can learn from our children, but sadly, there's a lot our children learn from us that can be detrimental.
162653
I have been enraptured by this novel for a few weeks now, and I can safely say that it is definitely on the short list of the greatest books ever made. Now, I know, you might be tempted to write off reading the book (it's well in excess of a thousand pages) in favor of seeing the movie or watching the musical. However, having seen both, I can say that although both are great, they are based on the book, and as such, they must necessarily lack some of the material in the book. As an illuminating, cathartic, fascinating, poignant, and grand book in every sense of the word, one would be hard-pressed to do better than Les Miserables.
I know that books over a thousand pages daunt most people. The truth is, it mostly goes by quickly. There are a number of intersecting storylines, revolving around Jean Valjean, a good and honorable man brutally punished for a minor offense, and his arch-enemy Javert who sees him as less than human for stealing a loaf of bread and a gold coin. There are so many interesting personae in this tale: Marius, the melancholy romantic (and Hugo stand-in), Cosette, who develops an incredibly close connection with Valjean, the evil Thenardiers (some might not go that far, but I would), and more. There are so many characters here that the novel greatly resembles War and Peace, and the parallels are uncanny. More on that later.
As for the book itself, one couldn't ask for a better prose writer. Hugo's writing (even through translation) is clear and simple, yet can be eloquent as well. There is a profound quote or observation about every five pages, and his story unfolds at a perfect pace. The characters are often differing shades of gray rather than black and white: Valjean is a good man, and very sympathetic, but he can be selfish (as is evidenced when he is worried about Cosette falling in love with a man because he would be lonely). Javert is an unconscionable psychotic when it comes to tracking down Valjean, but he is not completely evil, as his quest is motivated for his search for justice. By this admission, he does have some integrity. All of the characters except Thenardier are very complicated and interesting, as well as tragic in their own specific ways. And in all of this, Hugo should be commended.
This book is similar to the quintessential Russian epic War and Peace by Tolstoy, of course. Both describe a dangerous and pivotal time in their respective countries, which are roughly situated at the same time in history. Both have the same honesty and penetrating insight, as well as scope and emotional impact. Both have the same flaws. Hugo (as well as Tolstoy) tends to digress from his story quite often in order to make some point about man or society, and both tend to tell long stories that have little to do with their plots. Hugo gives plenty of extraneous information, not to say that it is bad writing or uninteresting from the reader's point of view, but it is this meandering focus that hurts the novel (although some would contend that it enriches it). The fighting at Waterloo, while exciting and fascinating, amounts to over 60 pages, of which only a handful convey essential story information. There is another section covering the inner workings of a convent that goes on and on (and can just be skipped -- the actual content that takes place in the convent is less than the buildup). The stylistic convention of the time was to pause occasionally from the narrative to make an observation about humanity. Although this adds great philosophical merit to the work, sometimes we wish that Hugo would just get on with it, much like Tolstoy. It makes one wonder if they ever met. One could make the case, though, that the book's flaws make the story more appealing: it makes mistakes, just like its characters, and becomes more endearing because of them.
This is a book that is considered one of the greatest artistic triumphs in history for good reason. Read the book and understand.
2010696
This is one of my favorite books of all time, and that is saying something, because in my lifetime I have read hundreds of books. But this one was very special to me, and I often recommend it to people who are looking for good books to read.

On the surface, it's a semi-autobiographical story about a man who escapes from prison in Australia and begins a new life in Bombay, India. But it is really about so much more than that. It is about life, love, truth, sacrifice, death, friendship, poverty, drugs, honor, war, religion, philosophy, sadness, joy, and the human condition. It is an indelible portrait of a specific time and place, and the people who changed his life.

Yes, it's a 900 page book. And there is truth on every page. Read it -- you will not regret it.
3937479
The Bone People is an extraordinary travel through the worlds of several incredible people. Much of the criticism the book has recieved has to do with its subject matter; all the characters are alcoholics and child abuse is one of the main foci of the plot. Friends of mine who come from severely alcoholic or abusive families have disliked this book intensely, and some have been unable to finish it. But subject matter is not the sum of a book's content. Several things redeem the novel, not least of which is Hulme's glowing twisty magical prose. Unlike many novels which address abuse or alcoholism, this one avoids unremitting bleakness or sanctimonious condemnation, focusing rather on the humanity and confusion and love of the three characters. It is, admittedly, disturbing and dark. However, it is also uplifting and hopeful. There is no "happy ending" as such, but there is no final catastrophe, either. The spirals in The Bone People are coils of family and fate and unity rather than downward spirals into private hells.
1752394
This wonderful and outstanding book is a poem written in prose, a story of love and hate, of faithfulness and treachery. This is a novel about genuine affection and its price in the cruel world. Fourteen nights of love costed  two immediate deaths and at least three distorted lives: does such a  balance make any sense? An answer is etched even in composition of the  novel. The last chapter of the book, its end and pinnacle, gives the  answer: we see the fortnight through the eyes of a man and a woman who are  in love, but who understand their doomed fate, and this makes every moment  of their intimacy priceless. They discern the significance of the Small  Things (even a life of a minute spider, a mute witness of their passion),  they realize the meaning of Tomorrow. A cause of the tragical events is not  the love that breaks all racial and social barriers but these barriers  themselves and the hatred generated by them. Take care of Small Things of  human delicate happiness in this still ruthless world, - tells us Ms Roy's  beautiful novel, - and believe in Tomorrow despite everything.
Influenced by William Faulkner, Ms Arundhati Roy's moving poetic style  successfully supplements Salmon Rushdie's derisive 'magical realism',  giving trustworthy picture of Indian life. 'The God of Small Things' is the  first novel of the author and (undoubtedly) her great achievement. I wish  her next book to be even better (though now I really do not know what can  be better).
3023311
Book review:
At The Center, by Dorothy Van Soest. Apprentice House,
Loyola University Maryland, 2015. 305 pages. Soft cover.
 The title, At the Center, does not appear until late in the book. This oft used literary device has been used quite effectively by the author. By the time the reader reaches that point he or she has already discerned multiple possibilities including personal, sociological, psychological, cultural, ethnic, geographic, philosophical among them.
 This riveting story of tensions between personal moral principles and practices and adherence to bureaucratic policies and procedures continually opens new possibilities of resolution. The books basic plot is subdivided from the start into two powerful parallel sub-plots which ultimately coalesce in the dramatic climax of the story.  Hints of resolution are given along the way as characters are marvelously fleshed out. Just as it is a magnificent indictment of good intentions gone awry it is at the same time a startling affirmation of the power of growth, perception, and redemption.
 While it is a work of fiction in which the clash of cultures/ethnicities  Native American and White  has devastating effect, it also portrays how personalities that initially mistrust or misread one another are able to work together for a higher good than their own evolving identities in an uncomfortable, but compelling cause.
 The author is careful to maintain that At The Center is a novel, a work of fiction in which persons, places, or incidents are not coincident with historically verifiable information from newspaper archives or even court documents. Yet, the authors background which has led her to now being Dean Emeritus of the School of School Work of the University of Washington has provide the seminal knowledge from which the story grows. She does not want the reader to see in it isolated incidents in which the innocent are victimized by those they trusted. However, her gripping story cannot help but grasp the readers mind and conscience making the story and the people in it as real as any one might meet in an office of human services or in some foster homes.
 There is, in the end, a triumphant declaration of the persistence of virtue and duly rewarded integrity but on the way there are times of weeping and wondering. There is nothing gratuitous about this exceptional novel. Everything has its clearly expressed purpose even the little joys and sorrows of everyday experiences along the way.
 The reader may not remember the names of the well-wrought characters once the journey has ended, but he or she can never put away the unforgettable situations they both confront and create.
 At The Center is a five star read for anyone who loves a compelling story masterfully told.!
  Paul W. Murphey, Ph. D.
  Silverdale, WA
3503792
This is one of those books it's near impossible to describe. Not because there isn't a plot--there is, and a compelling one--but because there's so much more going on than what's explicitly happening. It's a novel in nested circles, ripples that spread from a single inciting incident in the childhood of the the main characters.

But where that kind of description makes it sound gloomy, the book is anything but, rich in wit and insight. It's written with an easy grace that seems effortless but isn't, and the characters manage to function both as symbols and as people. This is one I suspect would reward a second read, but it's a joy the first time too.
4822908
ARC kindly provided by Simon & Schuster. Originally published at Reading Lark: http://readinglark.blogspot.com/2014/08/book-review-we-are-not-ourselves.html

When publishers spanning both sides of the Atlantic get into a bidding war over a book, and the author inspires articles with titles like "The High School English Teacher Who Sold His Debut Novel for $1 Million" and a blurb on Page Six, it commands a certain amount of attention. And I'm happy to say that Matthew Thomas's We Are Not Ourselves deserves the attention it has received and then some.

Epic in scope, We Are Not Ourselves follows Eileen Tumulty and her family through 50+ years of their lives in NYC and is a novel about progress, coping, love, education, social class, loss, identity, acceptance, and aspiring to always be more. Eileen's journey starts caring for alcoholic parents, raising herself with little more than nothing, and a commitment to give herself more than she had growing up. She meets Ed Leary, a scientist destined to become a respected professor, and immediately sees a future full of promise, picket fences, silver services, and an upwardly mobile career path for her husband. Though Eileen truly loves Ed, it doesn't take long for her to realize he doesn't quantify success in the same ways she does.

Thomas's gift is in weaving together gorgeously simple vignettes that could each stand alone as a character-driven short story. His insight to the domestic, middle-aged strife Eileen feels stir feelings of conspiratorial, sympathetic understanding and a selfish loathing, and it is a loathing for both the character and yourself when the reader identifies with her. Because of these snippets are expertly woven together, the early part of Eileen's life sets the stage without lulling or feeling forced, as exposition sometimes does. The descriptions of her early courtship with Ed ring true and the entire last half of the book has the reader alternating between tears and awe it's accuracy of dealing with (spoiler alert) early onset and aggressive Alzheimer's.

The only fault with this novel is the editing. It's lengthy at 640 pages, but after finishing it, deciding what sections could be cut to make it more palatable would be impossible. It's all necessary and it's all beautiful.

(Personal Note RE Spoiler Alert: My father's progression through the disease was spot on with Ed's, seeing symptoms as early as his late 40's and having similar experiences with early symptoms while still working and teaching as Ed does. This novel was painful both for the dormant memories it jarred and the looming future I may have with the same disease. Had I known going in that dealing with early onset Alzheimer's would encompass nearly half the novel, I might not have picked it up, but I'm incredibly happy I did. The reading process was cathartic and I'd recommend this to anyone with similar experiences.)
4233882
What a wonderful opportunity we've been given here.  We may never get to see our very own lives as we experience 'life' written in newspapers or in history books yet in this book we read not 'fiction' although the book is equally captivating as many novels often hope to be because along with Grace, an American, and her children we, too, can almost participate in their own experiences living deep inside China between 1934 and 1974.  It's all here.  And, yes, I agree with another reviewer: "The small press editor of GRACE IN CHINA, Randall Williams of Black Belt Press in Montgomery, Ala., deserves praise for recognizing an important, memorable book that deserves both critical and popular acclaim. Since a small independent press doesn't have the resources for extensive publicity, "word of mouth" will have to spread the news."  It is a rare glimpse into what few Americans saw for themselves after 1949, especially during China's Cultural Revolution.
426592
Outstanding writing, a complex and moving novel by a prominent American writer
1917461
Theo and Boris, the central characters in this rich, long, extraordinary novel become a part of your life. Highly recommend that you get the Kindle edition along with the Audible version, as they come in a package deal. The reader on the Audible version brings a wonderful dramatization of Theo, Boris, and others. Using the Kindle app, move back and forth between reading and listening. Gives another dimension.
2859468
In "A Replacement Life" (for convenience, ARL) author Fishman has given us a little world, compassed in a bit over 300 pages, in which characters, families, neighborhoods, faiths, and historical forces live and interact with varied and sometimes obscure(d) motivations and intentions, and with sometimes surprising results--just as happens in what we are pleased to call real life. The book is a product of solid craftsmanship and painstaking care, yet flows along neatly, without the smell of the lamp (but for one small indulgence to be noted later). As a narrative, ARL occupies a happy ground between formulaic Steinbeckian progressions and allusive Proustian labyrinths. It is not difficult to follow, although it does demand attention from the reader. The plot moves resolutely forward in time, but Time's Arrow darts lightly forward, backward, and sideways as characters' dialogue and actions advance the plot.
The protagonist, Slava, is something of a sporadically energized Bartleby the Scrivener: he would prefer not to be drawn into composing individually false but communally truthful accounts of lives snared by war and Holocaust, but he does, and finds his constructions carrying him to a thought-provoking resolution with a compensation agent of the Federal Republic of Germany.
The character sketch of the tough, canny, streetwise grandfather is worth the price of admission. Fishman has made him much more than a voice-balloon sidekick or comic companion. Grandfather trails a history and carries a bag of intentions that unfold gradually, but never appear to be fully disclosed. Other characters--relatives, friends, Slava's ladies--also appear as distinct individuals rather than page puppets.
The one small perturbation in the reading experience (for some, at least) may be the author's decision to drop snippets of admired prose and poetry (listed and sourced in ARL's endnotes) into his narrative. Some fit neatly into the passing scenery; others call attention to themselves by creating a bump in context, like encountering a ruby in your borscht.
The greatest art displayed in ARL is Fishman's artful interweaving of personal plotlines into broader issues of history, truth, and justice. They appear not as didactic hectoring by a narrator or as the kind of tedious speeches Ayn Rand characters are won't to unleash upon one another, but as natural outgrowths of characters' interactions. Result: a novel that can be read as fairly light entertainment, but also as a thoughtfully induced meditation.
Meanwhile, the embryo of a good screenplay is kicking at the walls of ARL, yearning to get out.
All in all, very nice. Let's have another.
2986170
The conceit of Adiga's "White Tiger" -- told in the form of letters from Balram, a successful Indian entrepreneur, writing to the President of China to explain how he rose from poverty and became successful -- has been discussed by other reviewers on Amazon and I doubt I could add much to their description.  Suffice to say that "White Tiger" is indeed an excellent novel, notable as much for the compactness of its prose as it is for the author's skill in braiding humor and pain in order to deliver an extraordinary affecting read.

What stands out in the novel beyond the story is how Adiga succeeds in taking the vast subject of the rapid development of the world's second most populous nation and encapsulates it in this very personal story, drawing it down to a size to which the average reader can relate.  Thus readers come to recognize the vast contrasts of a society where so many are gaining so much wealth even as the vast majority continues to languish in poverty, barely surviving at standards of living little changed for centuries.  Adiga makes no effort to sugar coat their existence in the "Darkness" as he describes rural India, but even more impressive, he never pulls it down to a maudlin level.  The same could be said of his narrator -- at once clever, self effacing, confident, and fully admitting of his faults - never allowed to become less than complex or more than human.

There has been some debate about this novel's selection to win the much coveted Mann Booker Prize.  While I was cheering for another novel - Toltz's likewise extraordinary debut "A Fraction of the Whole" - I cannot imagine why anyone would consider Adiga less than deserving of this prestigious award.  By any measure, "White Tiger" stands out as a successful work, at once thoughtful, provocative, and endlessly clever.  Adiga's immense skills make one curious as to what he will next produce and wonder why any reader wouldn't want to grab the tail of the "White Tiger" and hold on for this superb ride.
3276434
Small Kingdoms is an important novel that sheds light not just on life in the Middle East but also on what it means to be human, to be engaged in the world at large. It takes big issues and examines them on a human scale. That Anastasia Hobbet pulls this trick off while also giving us a gripping, multi-layered narrative only underscores her gifts as a writer. Both moving and intelligent, Small Kingdoms is nothing short of amazing.
3418307
This 2014 novel was named a best book of the year by many reviewers, and its full of richness on every page. A literary novel in every sense, its about an aging Manhattan author and notorious recluse, A.N.Dyer, whose failing faculties compel him to call his sons to him and in other ways try to straighten out the tangle hes made of his life.
His two older sons are estranged both from him and each other. Jamie is a filmmakers living on the East Coast whos just completed a dubious project documenting, perhaps too rigorously, lifes final decay. Richard is a struggling Los Angeles-based screenwriter, who has the prospect of long-awaited success dangled in front of him if only he can deliver the impossible-to-get film rights to his fathers first and most important novel, Ampersand.
The third, much younger son, is 17-year-old Andy. (Youll have noticed A.N.Dyer, Andy, Ampersand, and the books title). Andy is ostensibly the product of a liaison between Dyer and a Swedish nanny. The arrival in the household of baby Andy and the story of his conception ended Dyers marriage. But the real story of Andys origins are more significant than anyone but Dyer knows, and hes summoned Jamie and Richard to New York to tell it. And to enlist them in ensuring to Andys future welfare, should he die.
Throughout, as a sort of shambling Greek chorus is Philip Topping, son of Dyers oldest friend, Charlie, whose funeral opens the book. Philip is the same age as the two older sons, and theyve obviously never had much use for him and still dont, even though hes ensconced in Dyers East 70th Street apartment, the flotsam washed ashore from a foundering marriage. Topping is a Mr. Cellophane; they look right through him and never know hes there. Or, as Philip himself says, Im guilty of easily falling in love, of confusing the abstract with the concrete, hoping those words might cast me as a caring individual and dispel my notions of a sinister center. I believe in love at first sight so that I might be seen. But the Dyers don't see him, even when its necessary they should.
Dyers clean-up of his affairs includes selling his papers to the Morgan Library, and they, like the Hollywood manipulators, are interested in Ampersand. They will sweeten their offer considerably if he includes a draft of it. Alas, he destroyed all the drafts years before, so is pushed into the insupportable position of having to retype the whole manuscript, inserting awkward phrases and misdirected text, which he crosses out to arrive at the version in the published book.
Its a very New York book, with apt references not just to places and events but to the way the city and its citizens go about their business. All this seems sly and perfectly grounded. Here are a few sentences from the Morgan Library reps pitch to Dyer:
"In my biased view, we are the intellectual heart of this city. A visitor from another planet would do well to visit here first in order to understand our human narrative. We also have a tremendous gift shop." [This last is true, IRL.]
Dyers agent then suggests theyve been approached by the University of Texass Harry Ransom Center with a much more generous offer, and receives this response, which manages to insult everyone:
"If moneys the bottom line, we cant possibly compete. Ransom and their ilk will always win. And they are a fine institution and Austin is a fine central Texas town. But if you want to maximize profits, may I suggest breaking up the archive and selling the pieces in lots. But if respect, sensitivity, geo . . ."
Philip Topping is everywhere and nowhere in the book, as its part-time narrator. It also includes excerpts (freshly typed!) from Ampersanda vicious tale indeedcorrespondence between Dyer and Topping, senior, from childhood on, and texts between Andy and a young woman hes hoping to seduce.
Full of humor, human foibles, and beautiful writingseductive and ripe with both comedy and heartbreak, as NPR reviewer Mary Pols saidits a book that flew under my radar, but which Im glad I finally found.