By Sam Lipsyte
Picador, $13
B+
Lipsyte’s newest novel asks questions like: “How’s bathing at knifepoint in the phlegm of the dead? Is that a feeling?” It’s funny. It’s better than funny because, when he read at Elliott Bay Book Co. in Seattle, the crowd wasn’t sure whether to flinch or grin or vomit. And although most humorous writers forget about the beauty of language, Lipsyte also manages to create rhythmic, dense sentences with the same ambition as someone like Thomas Pynchon. He builds an entire book using only correspondence from a man (an extremely bitter man) to his high school alumni newspaper. It is subversive, depraved and familiar. It is the truth about high school. —Ross Simonini
Soft Skull Press, $19.95
B
Inspired by “The Arabian Nights,” this anthology focuses on the work of 23 female graphic artists. Like Scheherazade, they’re best as storytellers and each comic is compelling in its own right, particularly Ariel Schrag’s cringe-inducing “Shit” and Ellen Lindner’s noirish “Undertow.” The draftsmanship, however, varies greatly, but it’s hard to judge fairly when a bad print run has compromised eight stories. For this reason, compiler/contributor Megan Kelso has disowned the collection (see www.girlhero.com). It’s still a worthy effort. Featuring cover art by Nikki McClure and a preface by Kathleen Hanna. —Kathleen C Fennessy
Ed. Tim McLoughlin Akashic Books $15.95 B+ |
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This is a collection of Brooklyn stories from writers who live it, love it or dream about it. While most of America, hell, the world, can admit to at least a brief love affair with New York City, there is definitely something particularly alluring about the borough of Brooklyn. Perhaps we’ve all seen too many Scorcese films or heard too many recollections concerning the pre-LA Dodgers. In any case, the neighborhood’s got charisma and a history so deep you can’t see the bottom. This anthology covers old Brooklyn, new Brooklyn and all points between. Stories run the gamut of emotions: the lust of outsiders, the contempt of insiders doomed to an existence of spaghetti alla chitarra, crooked cops and drug dealers, but most importantly, the respect of all. Highlights include the works of Adam Mansbach, Pearl Abraham, Kenji Jasper, Chris Niles, and the reason I began reading again: Maggie Estep. —Brittany D Friesner