08-23-13:A 2013 Phone Interview with Marisha Pessl
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"...a modern sense of a dark odyssey..."
—Marisha Pessl
Not so long ago, Marisha Pessl turned a lot of heads with only her voice; her written voice to be precise, in 'Special Topics in Calamity Physics.' Her new book, 'Night Film,' is just as audacious as the title of her first novel. In it, she creates our world with one addition — Stanislaus Cordova, a film director of with a cult following and a very dark reputation.
In our phone conversation, I just wanted to get the broad strokes behind the novel and some of my interests, to wit the faux-documentary feel of the book. It's filled with posters for the movies created by Cordova, photos, news articles supposedly cribbed from the Times, images from "websites," and other bits meant to craft for the reader an impression of the man who ...may not actually appear in the novel.
Characterization in absentia seems to be all the rage these days. We love to read books that are about characters who, for the most, are not in the books that are about them. To me, this is a telling inclination, as it reflects our (or at least, my) perception that often we are not the most important people in our own lives. We're guest stars in our own bios.
Random House has really gone to town with 'Night Film,' in a way I have not seen since Mark Z. Danielewski's 'House of Leaves.' Pessl's also getting the "writer as rock star" treatment, which is heartening in an age of "Wait... is that movie based on a book?"
08-21-13 UPDATE:Podcast Update: Time to Read Episode 116: Walter Mosley, 'Little Green'
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Here's the one hundred and sixteenth episode of my series of podcasts, which I'm calling Time to Read. Hitting the two-year mark, I'm going to make an effort to stay ahead, so that podcast listeners can get the same sort of "sneak preview" effect that radio listeners get each Friday morning.
My hope is that in under four minutes I can offer readers a concise review and an opportunity to hear the author read from or speak about the work. I'm hoping to offer a new one every week.
The one hundred and sixteenth episode is a look at Walter Mosley and 'Little Green.'
08-19-13 Extra:A 2013 Phone Interview with Alfredo Corchado
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"I keep using the phrase 'hope and dread'...."
— Alfredo Corchado
Alfredo Corchado has lived in a world from many do not return, and in his book, 'Midnight in Mexico: A Reporter's Journey Through a Country's Descent into Darkness' (Penguin Press / Penguin Putnam ; May 20, 2013 ; $27.95), he manages to take readers into the world. He reports on the Mexican Drug cartels, which is obviously not a profession for those who are not passionate about what they do.
It was Corchado who revealed to the world that the Mexican government and the drug cartels had made a deal, a revelation that might have cost him his life. In 'Midnight in Mexico,' he combines swatches of intensely wild recent history — the story of how the drug cartels came to the position of power and terror they hold today in Mexico, with his own story of tough decisions of power and terror.
I had the chance to speak with Corchado over the phone before he comes to town later this week, and I sort of went for the throat, in that I asked what I was really curious about. To me, it seems that perhaps the partnership is an acceptable lesser of two evils. It's certainly worth considering.
I also wanted to know about the US perception of the war below the border. The casualties, the cruelties, the true terror that exists today in Mexico to my mind seems just as disturbing as what's happening in the Middle East. It's a hell of a lot closer, and the cartels are well armed and technologically adept.
"I like when the inexplicable follows certain rules."
— Ivy Pochoda
Make no mistake about it; Ivy Pochoda is a name you're going to be hearing a lot about, and this on the evidence of her novel 'Visitation Street,' now out from Dennis Lehane's imprint under Ecco / HarperCollins. Give her a chance to talk and you'll hear the combination of art, intellect and passion that makes the book so outstanding.
For me, this was a difficult novel to approach, as I wanted to talk all about it while still trying to preserve my reading experience. I don't read dust jacket notes, so I just plunged intot he world of Red Hook. For me, the first draw was the prose, which reminded me of the best British writers. There's just a certain style of detail that makes Pochoda's world instantly immersive. We talked about how she crafts this prose, and uses it to sharpen characterization throughout the novel.
Another aspect of this book that I truly loved was Pochoda's approach to her characters, all of whom are both deeply likable and very flawed. Some of the characters I liked the most made some very bad decisions. Pochoda likes the gray nature of her characters. This is a term and technique that is often over-used, but here it works particularly well in making all the people you read about seem like people you might know.
Pochoda also addressed her version of plotting by characterization, which is actually quite important in 'Visitation Street.' This book has a compelling, page-turning feel and is quite hard to put down. Moreover, when you're not reading it, you look forward to getting back into Pochoda's world, which is a feat we had to chat about.
For some, the draw of 'Visitation Street' will be the perfectly-measured touches of the surreal that manage to fit in perfectly with the ultra-realistic feel of Red Hook. This is a function of prose and intent on Pochoda's part. It's not easy to bring off, but she does so seemingly without effort.
08-21-15: Agony Column Podcast News Report : Senator Claire McCaskill is 'Plenty Ladylike' : Internalizing Determination to Overcome Sexism [Incudes Time to Read EP 211: Claire McCaskill, Plenty Ladylike, plus A 2015 Interview with Senator Claire McCaskill]
Agony Column Podcast News Report : Emily Schultz Unleashes 'The Blondes' : A Cure by Color [Incudes Time to Read EP 210: Emily Schultz, The Blondes, plus A 2015 Interview with Emily Schultz]
07-05-15: Commentary : Dr. Michael Gazzaniga Tells Tales from Both Sides of the Brain : A Life in Neuroscience Reveals the Life of Science
Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2015 Interview with Michael Gazzaniga : "We made the first observation and BAM there was the disconnection effect..."
04-21-15: Commentary : Kazuo Ishiguro Unearths 'The Buried Giant' : The Mist of Myth and Memory
Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2015 Interview with Kazuo Ishiguro : ".... by the time I was writing this novel, the lines between what was fantasy and what was real had blurred for me..."
Agony Column Podcast News Report : A 2015 Interview with Marc Goodman : "...every physical object around us is being transformed, one way or another, into an information technology..."
Agony Column Podcast News Report UPDATE: Time to Read Episode 199: Marc Goodman : Future Crimes: Everything Is Connected, Everyone Is Vulnerable and What We Can Do About It
