Confessions of an Idiosyncratic Mind: Smatterings

Picks of the Week

Harry Dolan: Bad Things Happen
BAD THINGS HAPPEN is a nifty debut, cleverly told and unfurled from the very first line: "The shovel has to meet certain requirements" on through meeting "the man who calls himself David Loogan." There are reasons for concealment, just as there are reasons the editor of a mystery magazine bearing little resemblance to EQMM or AHMM might bring him into the fold, thus catalyzing a series of murderous events. The twists come quickly and the dialogue is sharp and if it falls apart slightly at the end, no matter - I want to read much more from Dolan from now on.
Ian MacKenzie: City of Strangers: A Novel
MacKenzie's debut novel reminded me a lot of Paul Auster's NEW YORK TRILOGY, whether it was intended or not, in terms of his choice of words, the thrust of the narrative and the existential nature of the main character (whose first name, incidentally, is Paul) caught up in a snowballing sequence of strange and violent events in and around New York City. MacKenzie straddles the line between thriller and internal examination of a man's failings, and his ability to do so establishes him as a young writer of serious talent and future.
Megan Abbott: Bury Me Deep
In a word: amazing. In more words: Megan Abbott, who has never delivered anything less than an excellent novel, exceeds expectations and takes a very bold and very necessary step forward both in the quality of the prose, the development of her characters and especially in portraying how obsession seeps into the very soul of people, transforming them into their worst nightmares all too easily. Just read this book. And then tell many others to do so as well.
Ninni Holmqvist: The Unit
Understandably, echoes of THE HANDMAID'S TALE are hard to ignore in this dystopic examination of a society where fertility is so high a priority that older, single, marginal women are shut away in secret locales to live out the rest of their lives in seemingly perfect harmony - at least, until the "donations" begin. But Holmqvist's marvelous book doesn't browbeat her thesis into the reader and smartly expands her ideas to look at the plight of all marginalized folk, women and men alike, and how the promise of comforts can be the most horrifying of all. Prepare to be disturbed, but prepare further to think about the ramifications.
Paula Froelich: Mercury in Retrograde
This is possibly the most perfect novel for today's economically challenged times. Why? Because it has plenty of glitz and glamor and blind items, as befitting a narrative by the deputy editor of Page Six, but Froelich isn't arch or snarky or acid-tongued in the slightest. Her trio of protagonists land in all manner of embarrassing situations but they aren't played for mean-spirited laughs. The New York here is something of a fantasy-land, but not so far off the mark that it's completely unbelievable. Most of all it's clear Froelich remains sincere and optimistic about her chosen city, and has retained her sense of fun. So no need to check your brain at the door, but sometimes it just needs to chill out and relax.

The Booker Prize shortlist is announced, and the usual suspects aren't on it - no CHILD 44, no NETHERLAND, and no ENCHANTRESS OF FLORENCE. John Sutherland, your YouTube moment awaits! And we want it NOW! Don't try to get out of it!

The Baltimore Sun runs an abbreviated version of my newest column, making available my take on crime fiction by John Harvey, Mo Hayder and Carol Goodman.

Not available was what I thought about Chelsea Cain's SWEETHEART, but Patrick Anderson sums up a great many of my feelings in yesterday's review in the Washington Post.

Literary agent Bill Clegg has sold his crack addiction memoir to Little, Brown for as much as $350,000 for North American rights.

Val McDermid chats about her new standalone, A DARKER DOMAIN, with the Scotsman.

Jon Jordan offers a handy guide to surviving Bouchercon.

J.K. Rowling has won her lawsuit against RDR publications.

Have no fear, Bolano freaks: there are plenty of works by the author of THE SAVAGE DETECTIVES and 2666 still waiting to be published in English.

TOW Books, a publishing imprint by McSweeney's editor John Warner, will make its books available for free.

Forgotten in the Weekend Update: Ed Park's impressionist essay on the aftermath of 9/11 in the NYT City Section.

John Scalzi on why the Large Hadron Collider won't signal the end of the world. I mean, REALLY? Come on! (via)

When a mistaken date causes stock calamity.

When the runaround produces calamity.

And finally, this is still funny 25 years later.

Comments

Wait. So an agent sold a story about being an addict? This might encourage other agents to start addictions in an otherwise slow market, no?

Posted by: Steven | September 09, 2008 at 12:07 PM

Somewhat reassured about the absence of CHILD 44 on the Booker short list.

Posted by: I.J.Parker | September 09, 2008 at 01:27 PM

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Confessions of an Idiosyncratic Mind

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September 09, 2008

Smatterings

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