Book review time
Sep. 30th, 2003 02:38 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
quesarahI finished Fitzhugh's Heart Seizure this weekend. All in all, Bill didn't do a bad job but I can't recommend it as heartily as Organ Grinders. This latest book is mostly a forum for him to jump on a soapbox and preach to the choir. (for the record, I happen to be one of the choir. alto, as a matter of fact.) It also read as if he needs a new editor. There were a lot of choppy transitions and some sections that would've benefitted from a rewrite. Check it out if you like his other stuff, but I can in good conscience only give it a knuckle up.
I also read AM Homes' book of short stories titled The Safety of Objects. I saw Rose Troche's movie adaptation first, and it intrigued me enough to pick up the book. I have to say, they are some of the most engrossing stories I've read in a while. Homes is economical with words, sketching scenes that reveal the characters' inner depths without too much exposition; their reactions alone are telling.
These are also some of the most disturbing stories I've read in a while; not in terms of gross-out factor, but in terms of the ugliness of human beings. She doesn't sugarcoat her characters' flaws; they react poorly, make mistakes, are self-destructive, don't connect with their families. That said, I couldn't put the book down. I give it two stubby thumbs up.
I also read AM Homes' book of short stories titled The Safety of Objects. I saw Rose Troche's movie adaptation first, and it intrigued me enough to pick up the book. I have to say, they are some of the most engrossing stories I've read in a while. Homes is economical with words, sketching scenes that reveal the characters' inner depths without too much exposition; their reactions alone are telling.
These are also some of the most disturbing stories I've read in a while; not in terms of gross-out factor, but in terms of the ugliness of human beings. She doesn't sugarcoat her characters' flaws; they react poorly, make mistakes, are self-destructive, don't connect with their families. That said, I couldn't put the book down. I give it two stubby thumbs up.
