'Possession': A (Suspense-Thriller) Romance

Review: POSSESSION (Random House 1990)
Author, A.S. Byatt

POSSESSION is--there's no other word--an extraordinary book.

Touted as an "intelligent, literary, and ambitious thriller" by The Times (London), the story is also subtitled: "A Romance." And it is all these things and more.

The main character, Roland Mitchell, is a literary scholar working in the bowels of the London Library. He's perusing a long-undisturbed book authored by the subject of his study, poet Randolph Henry Ash, when he discovers two letters Ash started writing to a woman--one to whom the married Ash was obviously attracted. Purloining the letters in order to find out her identity (and keeping this find to himself, instead of sharing it with Professor Blackadder, for whom he works as a part-time research assistant), he learns that the woman may be a poet named Christabel LaMotte, who up until this point was thought to be a Lesbian with no connection to Ash. Roland's research inevitably leads him to Maud Bailey, who runs another university's Women's Resource Center. Maud is one of two people in the world considered to be complete experts on Christabel LaMotte. Their alliance (an uncomfortable one, at first) grows closer and more intense the more they learn about the relationship between the two poets.

Ah, but they aren't working in a vacuum. Others start to sniff around and figure out what they're up to. Including Fergus Wolff (Maud's ex-lover), Leonora Stern (the other LaMotte scholar), Beatrice Nest (custodian to Ellen Ash's papers), Blackadder and a certain Mortimer Cropper, a nefarious American (the book is nothing, if not thoroughly British) and Blackadder's arch rival when it comes to anything related to Randolph Henry Ash. So A.S. Byatt intricately and deftly weaves elements of the thriller, suspense and romance into the story. But that's not all--because the letters and manuscripts the two scholars find tell a story themselves. Another story of romance and suspense. So the story of Roland Mitchell and Maud Bailey ends up being written around the story of Randolph Henry Ash and Christabel LaMotte. And the overall effect is--amazing.

A few caveats: the prose is rich. In fact, to merely say it's rich is like saying creme brulee topped with whipped cream has a few calories. It has the flow and feel of the 19th Century literature by the poets being studied, layered with the modern sensibilities of the scholars studying them. And poems by Ash and LaMotte are embedded throughout the text. These poems reflect part of their story as well, since they're intended to show how Ash and LaMotte's relationship affected their work. (As Roland and Maud's joint research may affect their relationship? Hmm . . .)

I usually read a lot of hard-boiled and noir fiction--terse, gritty, unsentimental. But this book was a welcome change of pace for me. One scene in particular, in which Roland and Maud make a major find, was so suspenseful, I could swear it raised the hairs on the back of my neck (not too shabby for a couple of bookish types looking for old letters). And I was simply amazed at Byatt's talent in creating not only the characters and plot for the main story, but writing the poetry, letters, etc., and creating the characters and plot for the story within the story.

To pull it off, Byatt had to switch points of view, now and then--sometimes within the same scene. Some authors will tell you this breaks the rules. But then rules are intended to be broken--when you know what you're doing. Which, clearly, Byatt does.

Which is to say, the book is probably not for everyone. It's not a formulaic thriller or romance--not a "beach read." The book has substance, but substance I could sink my teeth into, while having a story I could get lost in.

In conclusion, anyone who says that "literary writers" (whatever that term means) don't know how to create a plot needs to read this book. It puts the lie to that particular bit of conventional wisdom.

I'd like to think the book shows how well the conventions of genre can work in literary fiction. How they're not mutually exclusive. That we can, in fact, all get along.

Making up with the Moon, Singleton Hippie Art

Making up with The Moon(C) Singleton 2009 SOLDI danced barefootedin the blue green tidal pool...a make believe paisley water garden,salty and cool..And waved good~bye toThe Ocean.She wasrunning off to meet Eternity,her giant seafoam petticoat dragging the sand...trinkets and treasures tumbling from herpockets...A love affair that never ended....And then I felt you...there in the night....in the

(Belated) Appreciation of James Joyce

Yeah, I know . . . I'm several days late and so on. Joyce's birthday was June 16. But I thought this example of his work, Molly Bloom's Soliloquy, (found on Work-in-Progress--a great blog, BTW) was so . . . different. Beautiful, lyrical (try reading it aloud yourself and see--what do you emphasize? how do the words flow from your mouth?) . . . not the kind of stuff I usually read. (James Joyce wouldn't be, would he?)

Anyway, though I've waited far too long to put this up, I'm doing it anyway. Because it's cool and it's good to read outside your comfort zone, now and then.

And I still have to watch the video . . .

A Literary Winner Who Feels Like a Loser in LOSER'S TOWN

Review of LOSER'S TOWN (audiobook) (HighBridge Company 2009)
By guest blogger Star Lawrence
Author, Daniel Depp; read by Don Leslie

New stuff in town. That town would be Hollywood, of course, where Robert Mitchum once said losers come to succeed. Daniel Depp is the author. Depp, Depp—yes, he's Johnny Depp's half-brother and a darn fun writer. His new series character is David Spandau, a stuntman turned mavericky employee of a staid bodyguard and security firm in Tinsel Town.

I absolutely fell in love with Don Leslie, this reader. He has a slowish, distinct, bass voice and sounds very wry and precise, perfect for describing this Pulp Fiction-like cast of characters, who ruminate or blab on as juicily as Royale with DOUBLE cheese. Elmore Leonard—do you feel Depp's hot breath on your neck?

The plot is a little sketchy. Spandau is hired by an up-and-coming young actor named Bobby Dye, who is in the clutches of a mob punk named Richie Stella. Everyone smooches Dye's butt except Spandau, who prefers to protect it instead. Something about a personal code of honor or something.

I particularly liked Spandau's friend Terry, an Irishman short of stature but gifted in talk, lovemaking, and the martial arts. What more could a woman ask, really? Of course, he is a little bit of a loose Howitzer.

We want more Spandau! And be quick! Terry? Well . . . Terry. You'll find out . . .

Star Lawrence owns a recession coping and humor site called Do the Hopey Copey, at http://hopeycopey.blogspot.com. She can be reached at jkellaw@aol.com.

Ray Bradbury Fights to Save Library

How apt is this from the author of FAHRENHEIT 451?

Bradbury is a staunch defender and lover of books and libraries--a trait we happen to share.

I noticed he also claims to remember being in the womb and being born. Oddly enough, I remember it, too. (Or, at least, I remember remembering it. Not quite the same thing . . .)

And I've just got to quote this part from the article (for the ironic value, if for no other reason):

"The Internet? Don’t get him started. 'The Internet is a big distraction,' Mr. Bradbury barked from his perch in his house in Los Angeles, which is jammed with enormous stuffed animals, videos, DVDs, wooden toys, photographs and books, with things like the National Medal of Arts sort of tossed on a table.

"'Yahoo called me eight weeks ago,' he said, voice rising. 'They wanted to put a book of mine on Yahoo! You know what I told them? "To hell with you. To hell with you and to hell with the Internet."

"'It's distracting,' he continued. 'It's meaningless; it's not real. It's in the air somewhere.'"

Oh, really. Well, I wouldn't have known about this article without it, Ray. I can't help but love your crusty attitude (even share it to a degree), but let's face it. The Internet--for good or ill--is here to stay, buddy.

The Top 10 Longest Novels in English

It seems only fitting that I should so closely follow a recent post in defense of long books with a list of the 10 Longest Novels in the English Language.

Interesting list. And who knew that ATLAS SHRUGGED had more words than INFINITE JEST?

In fact, to my surprise, INFINITE JEST (with more than 1100 pages) came in at No. 10. Go figure.

'Last Night at the Lobster' Brings Back Old Memories for This Ex-Waitress

Review: LAST NIGHT AT THE LOBSTER (Penguin Group 2007)
Author, Stewart O'Nan

Maybe it's just because I'm a former waitress, but I found LAST NIGHT AT THE LOBSTER to be a particularly appealing little novel. At 146 pages, it might even qualify as a novella (you don't see many of those these days).

It's about a guy named Manny DeLeon, the manager of a Red Lobster tucked in a corner of the parking lot for a New Britain, Conn., mall. It's a snowy night, a few days before Christmas. It's also the last night that this Red Lobster will be in business.

Apparently, they're not doing as well as they should. So corporate is shutting them down and keeping Manny and a few others on to work at a nearby Olive Garden, where Manny will be demoted to assistant manager. But that's not the only thing on Manny's mind.

There's also his pregnant girlfriend, Deena--the one he's not sure he wants to stay with--and his not-so-secret fling with Jacquie, a waitress at the Lobster (the relationship's over when the story begins, but not gone from Manny's thoughts). Let's just say Manny's got a lot on his mind this particular snowy winter night.

Along with his sense of loss about the Lobster closing (Manny revisits memories of old times, even as he goes around, robotically preparing the restaurant for its final day of business), he feels anguished and guilty about the people he won't be able to take with him to the Olive Garden. Not to mention the gift he still has to buy for Deena, which he'd rather get for Jacquie. But that's all over . . .

This concisely written gem by Stewart O'Nan manages to perfectly capture the feeling of working in the restaurant business (in down and dirty detail), convey the chilly ambiance of New England in winter and tell a story about imperfect people trying to get along and go along in an imperfect world.

The story works on so many levels--from the detailed descriptions of how Manny clears snow from the walk to the empty feeling of corporate indifference Manny is left with at the end of the day (or even the beginning of this one).

The story also has the most vivid and colorful characters--people you'd recognize if you've ever worked in a restaurant. For me it was like, "I know these people. I've worked with them!" And the events of this particular night also work at many levels--funny, poignant, even semi-tragic. And O'Nan manages to do this in a mere 146 pages. That's amazing in itself.

And lest you think Manny is a jerk for having two girlfriends--just read the story. You'll see he's anything but. (Okay, he's not perfect. But he's actually a pretty nice guy.)

Manny may have his flaws (separation anxiety apparently being one of them--he seems almost obsessively concerned with the fate of a decorative marlin hanging on the wall), but in the end, he's just a guy trying to do the right thing. Whatever that is.