There is an element of suspense called the perception plot. It involves protagonists who witness something traumatic and then come to doubt what they have seen. This could be considered a subsidiary of the unreliable narrator plot with one key distinction: while the unreliable narrator intentionally deceives, the confused witness does it unknowingly. A.J. Finn’sContinue reading “The Confused Witness”
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The Art of the Overshare
The best memoirs have the appeal of a night out with a dazzling raconteur. Good storytellers have natural editing skills: they understand that there is an arc to a narrative – foundation, tension, payoff – and they leave out the details that don’t serve it. Not everyone can pull this off, of course. Unlike itsContinue reading “The Art of the Overshare”
Girl, Revisited
One of the greatest disappointments of my reading life involves Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl. Back in 2013, curious about this hot new title that I hadn’t yet started, I perused the Amazon reviews, unconcerned about spoiler warnings. Because of my impetuosity, I will never experience the pleasure of reading this seminal work without knowing beforehandContinue reading “Girl, Revisited”
Stepford Fantasies
I read a lot in the women’s suspense subgenre, searching perpetually for the next satisfying story. Broadly speaking, women’s suspense fiction involves a female protagonist experiencing escalating tension that arises from some kind of uncertainty. Sometimes murder or the hint of it is central to the plot, but not always. Infidelity, domestic violence, and infertilityContinue reading “Stepford Fantasies”
All’s Not Well
There is an undeniable appeal to stories that end well. Fiction has been described as life minus the boring parts, but it often is missing the unfair moments as well. Likeable protagonists end their trials on an upnote, any hint of trouble faded from the reader’s mind. The thwarted couple are reunited, the anguished soulContinue reading “All’s Not Well”
Nanny-cam
There is a distinct pleasure to discovering an original voice. You pick up a book and suddenly you’re in an altered frame of mind because the author has done the hard work of articulating something in a new way. Kiley Reid is the proverbial fresh take. Her novel Such a Fun Age takes a topicalContinue reading “Nanny-cam”
Fluff Appeal
There is a bookstore in London that shelves all its books by region. Instead of finding a guide to the American South in the travel section, for example, you will find it next to works of fiction by Harper Lee and Margaret Mitchell. This is my kind of place. When I select a new book,Continue reading “Fluff Appeal”
Manners Maketh Man
Over the years, I have attended a lot of book signings. Often it’s as a fan, but I have been to others as a professional courtesy. While the vast majority were unremarkable, I have also witnessed some puzzling behavior from writers. When I was nineteen, I spent a summer on the Upper East Side ofContinue reading “Manners Maketh Man”
A New Year In Books
Like most avid readers, I have an impressive TBR pile. This has only been exacerbated since the advent of e-readers, of which I am an unabashed fan. My Kindle currently holds hundreds of books, about half of which I haven’t finished. By contrast, my physical bookshelves hold about 150 titles, most of which I haveContinue reading “A New Year In Books”
Books Smitten 