Review: An extraordinary voice, great writing
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 06 29, 2013
The first few pages of this novel were interesting and well-written, easily carrying me along, but then I found myself pausing in awe. What genre was this? Where was the plot going? Why did it feel so awesome to read on?The language, the dialogue, the freaky psychology, and the bizarre realism ... incredible. Most of the characters developed 'just right.'I've observed (and complained) that film critics often rave excessively about movies that are about theater (stage, film), and I'm sure that my writing background made me an ideal reader for this novel about a writer.What fascinated me was the way I felt myself drawn in one direction, then another, always enjoying the ride and forgiving the author whenever the shifts forced me to abandon and rebuild my expectations.In the last part of the book, the plot steadied and became less satisfying, though the language and dialogue and asides continued to entertain me.I want to read more by this author, even though I know that I'm certainly going to be disappointed because this book is pretty much unbeatable.Comparing this author to Elmore Leonard is reasonable, yet unfair -- this is even more original (even when being intentionally derivative).Like an Elmore Leonard novel, this book could be adapted into a great movie (or easily into a bad movie) but no film could capture the real flavor of the book.Just read the book. It is great.