Diana Spechler: Who by Fire: A Novel (P.S.)
Spechler's unfliching, beautifully written debut strikes at the heart of how one catastrophic event creates a fissure so deep it breaks a small family into fragmented pieces. A little girl is kidnapped, presumed dead, and over a decade later her mother is still searching for answers, her older sister seeks solace in meaningless sex and her brother - who blames himself for the crime's commission - finds his life's solution among ultra-Orthodox Judaism. Spechler uses the inciting event to show the ways in which family members cling to and turn away from each other, do terrible things with the best intentions and show the comforts and prejudices of religiosity with a compassionate eye and voice.
Iain Levison: Dog Eats Dog
First published in France a few years ago, Bitter Lemon press finally makes this darkly comic gem available in English. When a bank robber, bleeding profusely from his last and very botched job, lands in a sleepy New Hampshire college town, disaster is pretty much inevitable. Never is that more true than for Elias White, roped into being the robber's accomplice as a result of an ill-fated dalliance glimpsed through an open window, and for FBI agent Denise Lupo, whose ability is less dogged and more fragmented. Levison nails the academic atmosphere and its jarring juxtaposition with the criminal underworld, but most of all he's clearly having fun with his given premise.
Matthew Hall: The Art of Breaking Glass
If this debut were published in 2008 instead of 1997, I suspect it would have been greeted with the same acclaim and the same sense that this is a major talent with a great deal in store for his career. Because holy hell, this has tremendous pacing, wonderful characters and an offbeat and very unique voice. But since its original publication, the book is all but out of print and there's no new novel from Hall in sight, as he's concentrated on TV and screenwriting duties. So read this book and hope that a) some publisher decides to reissue it b) Hall follows it up someday.
Victor Gischler: Go-Go Girls of the Apocalypse: A Novel
After four crime novels, Gischler turns to something a little different - and a lot more unclassifiable - with this incredibly funny, violent, panoramic and pulpy apocalyptic novel. The world Mortimer Tate left behind was about to go into ruins but what he returns to nine years later is littered with machine guns, strip clubs and people looking out for their best interests (both literally and carnivorously.) With the help of an eclectic crew of sidekicks and gun-toting babes, Mortimer prepares to save the world at the lost city of Atlanta - whether he likes it or not.
Zoe Sharp: Third Strike: A Thriller
Once again, Zoe Sharp finds a way to make the thriller genre her own by focusing on the psychological toll that violence takes upon a person. By the end of THIRD STRIKE, Charlie Fox is at a very dark place, fully cognizant of the consequences her actions have taken upon those she's been asked to guard and those she loves, and I was profoundly disturbed in a way I haven't been after reading a thriller in quite some time. This is a long, long way from mindless fluff, and if you're prepared to travel some very dark and thoughtful corners, this is the book (and series) to read.
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So in looking at the interview lineup for the month of May over at the Kacey Kowars Show, one isn't quite like the others:
May 2: Caroline Leavitt
May 9: Lee Martin
May 16: Michael Connelly
May 23: John Dunning
May 30: Me
But what the hell, right? And truth is, it was great fun and Kowars kept a nice balance between obvious questions and follow-up.
The interview should be up at the main link later today. Enjoy.
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» Sarah Weinmann Interview from NYC Photo
Over on Confessions of an Idiosyncratic Mind, Sarah has an entry on a great online interview she did for the Kacey Kowers Show. Check out both Sarah's entry and the link to Kasey's site. The interview has a lot of... [Read More]
Excellent job Sarah....
Posted by:Dave White | May 30, 2005 at 09:56 AM
Sarah, after all this time its finally great to hear your voice, kind of like I imaged it to be. great interview!
Posted by:Aldo | May 30, 2005 at 10:16 AM
What the hell kind of interview was that???
No mention of Cambodian midgets, no mention of iguanas, no mention of ME!
Sheesh.
I liked hearing your voice, though.
Posted by:Guyot | May 30, 2005 at 11:47 AM
That is so cool. It does sound like you, but with a slight difference brought on by the fact that its through the phone.
Posted by:Mary | May 30, 2005 at 12:57 PM
How come you never say 'Aboot?' in this interview? Where's the oot and abooting?
You come across well - no nervous tremor at all. You've done this before, right? Good interview.
Posted by:Stuart MacBride | May 30, 2005 at 02:20 PM
Your voice is like a symphony written by Mozart. Except without, you know, basoons and stuff.
Posted by:JDRhoades | May 30, 2005 at 04:35 PM
Great questions. Perfect answers. You did a fantastic job. Made me wish I could continue the conversation.
Posted by:Becky | May 30, 2005 at 05:12 PM
Great interview, Sarah. You speak like you write (a rare achievement, in my experience) - articulate and thoughtful.
Posted by:Emily | May 30, 2005 at 08:11 PM
Great range of topics covered in a relatively short interview. Fantastic job, Sarah!
Posted by:Tania | May 31, 2005 at 05:05 AM
Great range and depth, indeed.
Posted by:Gerald So | May 31, 2005 at 10:21 AM
Very cool. Nicely done.
Posted by:Anthony Rainone | May 31, 2005 at 01:17 PM
sarah, your voice is like a smooth cup of coffee on a brisk fall day...
Posted by:christin | May 31, 2005 at 04:40 PM
How does one add to the many compliments already received? I'll just add that you were terrific. But then, could we expect less?
Posted by:Elaine Flinn | May 31, 2005 at 11:25 PM
Good work SW!
Keep up the good work
Ali
Posted by:Ali | June 06, 2005 at 12:42 PM