When I saw the description of this book in the McSweeney’s store I knew I was going to buy it. It had all the right words - as if it were waiting on Dave Eggers’ site just for me, sending out secret messages: ”Nabokov… Agatha Christie… The Crying of Lot 49… The Third Policeman… Nordic lore and pulpy intrigue.” It called to me.
It’s a cool little faux detective romp regarding the attempts of Our Heroine to mourn the mysterious death of her friend Shirley MacGuffin and not get caught up in trying to solve the case. If you can’t tell by the names, be assured we’re in postmodern territory here. Imagine if Paul Auster’s debut trilogy was a comedy set in upstate New Uruk and Iceland instead of titular New York City. And just like that author’s trio of deconstructed detective stories, Dustin Long’s book is absolutely full of thematic jumping-off-points.
Which brings me to a point I want to make. To wit: One of the traps of these postmodern deconstructionist send-ups is that they can easily turn into something less like a story with characters and more like a doctoral dissertation with grand themes. Even the above-referenced Auster trilogy is sometimes guilty of being too didactic at the expense of fully-realized characters. (To be fair, I’m not sure character is always at the top of Auster’s to-do list. I’m sure he accomplished everything he set out to accomplish with The New York Trilogy.) I always use Nabokov’s Pale Fire as the shining example of a postmodern deconstruction puzzle-book that also has realistic characters. (And here I’m using the term “realistic” in a purely literary sense. Obviously there are arguments as to who or what is “real’ in the confines of Pale Fire qua story.) With Icelander Dustin Long has also managed that feat. Our Heroine, despite her cookie-cutter name, is anything but a mere model of the typical detective as created by the likes of Agatha Christie or Raymond Chandler or their ilk. With her anti-quest to avoid becoming involved in the case of her murdered friend and her disheveled mental state as a result of her recent divorce we have a fully fleshed-out character and not just some stand-in for the role of “Detective.”
It’s things like the intense characterization of Our Heroine and Blaise Duplain along with the intense pace of the narrative that set it apart from its postmodern brethren. I could go on and on about this book. And one day I hope to do just that. I have barely scratched the surface of this incredible debut novel; it deserves a very close reading. But for now let me just give it my highest possible recommendation and leave it at that. Even if you don’t usually read weird experimental stuff, read this.
For the last year or so (maybe longer) I’ve had a sort of recurring dream. Well, the events in the dreams do not recur but they all seem to take place in an amusement/theme park. It’s not always the same park, in fact I can’t remember dreaming of the same place twice, but each dream definitely is set at a Six Flags-type place.
So I went to the good ol’ intertubes and asked it what the heck an amusement park is doing in my dreams. And, as the digital oracle’s musings usually are, I received conflicting answers. The amusement park either means that I see life as full of adventure or that I see myself “as being on a wild ride, where nothing is terribly serious and life is a perpetual ‘roller coaster ride.’” The latter interpretation seems more likely. Another interpretation has the park standing in for the fun and relaxation that I crave. Now that is definitely an interpretation that seems apt. Overall, the message is something like, “Life is crazy so don’t take it too seriously. If you find yourself too stressed out take some time out and enjoy the things that make you happy.”
Not bad advice. I just wish I could find the time to take out for myself. Since November I’ve been doing nothing but looking for a job; now that I’ve found a job I can’t really afford to take a few days to go visit Walt Disney World.
Does anybody have any advice for some quick, cheap, fun things to do?
(I found the above dream interpretations from www.dreamloverinc.com.)
I finished The Fortress of Solitude yesterday; I got through it much sooner than usual. But don’t take that as me trying to rush you. Read it in your own time. And when you’re done reply here so we can get the discussion under way. Also, if anybody besides Coral and Maggie is reading Fortress, now would be a good time to let me know so that we can wait for you to finish and involve you in the discussion.
I’m excited. I have quite a bit to say about this book; I think it’s a great one to kick off the club.
Finally. It’s with Oakstone Publishing and I couldn’t be more excited to be gainfully employed once again. The company “has become one of the foremost publishers of professional reference and continuing education materials for physicians, educators and human resource professionals.” I’ll be supporting the sales staff and helping field questions from professional clients. And getting a regular paycheck.
OK, so I guess it’s just us for now, Maggie and Coral. I’ve thought about 3 books that might be good to kick this thing off. White Noise by Don DeLillo, Fortress of Solitude by Jonathan Lethem, or Bones of the Moon by Jonathan Carroll. They’re each on my “to do” list and I’m a big fan of the authors’ other work. I think any of them would be great picks for the book club. So what do you ladies think.
I highly recommend checking the books out of your local library. If you end up hating the book you don’t want to have shelled out actual money for it, right?
Any other readers who want to join in, please do. The more, the merrier.
