While walking through downtown LA today (and berating myself for not adding a weekly post here about how this new/old place is experiencing a remarkable rebirth/dramatic shift at the same time -- more on this later), two books popped into my head. They popped into my head as two books that I enjoyed immensely and yet never heard anyone mention. Or effusively praise. Or tout as the next great writer to watch. And yet both of these books affected me -- and my writing -- deeply when I read them a few years ago. So. What. Gives?
First up -- Martin Sloane by Michael Redhill. Delicious. Divine. A story about love and art and so much more. So exquisitely executed that I tried to tread lightly, read slowly, soak it all in so as not to finish it and be left with that feeling of wondering where my next truly beautiful fix would come from. Upon closing this book, I realized that if I'm ever going to be a writer of any kind, I want to be this kind. The kind of writer who can write a book like this. But...alas...no real coverage of him anywhere. When I mention this book to bookish friends, they think I've gotten the name wrong. The title. Their faces are blank.
Now. He is a poet & a playwright, which, in some circles, he is well known for. He's also Canadian. Is that why we never hear of him? Yet even my canuck friends stare at me blankly, convinced I'm saying his name wrong. Do you mean Martin Redhill? Michael Sloane? He made headlines when Martin Sloane was published because it took him ten years and five full re-writes (full as in starting over from scratch, not full in hollywood terms meaning my editor had me revise a few lines and it really pissed me off), which was the stuff of literary journalistic fodder. Yet I see on the cover of the very paperback I read years ago that he manages a literary journal called Brick. Check it out.
So the real question is this, Mr. Redhill, writer of the book that made me realize I wanted to be a writer all over again (and also humbled me in a way that put me on a dry, dry writing spell for months after reading his work): when will you write another? From his bio on the University of Toronto Library's site, his next novel, Consolation, already debuted in Canada this fall. Anyone read it yet? Patricia? Isabella? Do tell. It seems it won't be stateside until January 2007.
And the other question is this: have any of you read Martin Sloane? What did you think? Am I alone in my praise? Off kilter? Too in love? Let me know.
Second Up -- If Nobody Speaks of Remarkable Things by Jon McGregor. This is a book I randomly picked up in a bookstore years ago. No one pointed him out. No one said "hey you must read this or else." So when walking through LA today, I thought of Jon and his book and how it affected me and how strange it is that no one has ever mentioned him. Ever.
Yet. As I look down upon this paperback copy I have sitting on my desk, it does mention the fact that the book was short listed for the Booker Prize (clearly I was focusing on other things during the 2002/2003 Booker season.) So it seems that a furious rant about him not getting enough attention would be out of place in light of this new information. The Booker and all. But. Still. I didn't see the coverage I would have expected for a writer nominated for the Booker. (And no this is not the time or the place to get into a lengthy discussion about the merits of the Booker, the relative obscurity of many Booker authors past, present and undoubtedly future.) So, in the parlance of our time, what is up with that?
While I didn't find this book to follow an entirely linear plot (why should i care though, as my books never do!), the writing was supreme. Slow-moving in the best sense -- allowing you to bathe in it and soak a while. The first twelve pages stand out in my mind as particularly heartbreaking & heartbreakingly beautifully written. McGregor has such a way with pacing, with keeping you right there in the moment & then accelerating in a way that shows you the stark difference. He then slows again so you can take stock. As with Martin Sloane, when I read the first few pages of If Nobody Speaks of Remarkable Things, I knew I was reading a remarkable writer. Someone who loves language and character and story. When I finished the book, I was resolute in my desire to write. So why no real coverage? No mention of upcoming stuff?
But, alas, good Amazon (although I really do prefer Powell's) has listed his upcoming book, So Many Ways to Begin, to be released in the states on March 20th, 2007 by Bloomsbury USA. Perhaps we'll hear more about him the second time around? Early buzz is good...considering his latest effort is long listed for the Booker ALREADY. Yes. And did I mention he's 30? Love it. Two books, twice Booker-listed. Well done chap. Well done. Reading Matters is doing profiles on all the 2006 Booker-listed authors, so I'm guessing she'll get around to him soon. Do check it out.
And finally -- What unsung writers do you enjoy? What one book that no one talks about had a big impact on you as a reader, writer, human being? Do share.
