Tinkers
Paul Harding has a problem. Tinkers, his first novel, won the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. When he publishes his second novel constant comparisons will be made. Harding will have to wade though that mire, and come out the other end. He has to, because his stories are begging to be told. They tap into something very basic and make it poetic. The novel made regular men jump out of reality, and exist in a place right next to us. George Washington Crosby teaches the reader to live though death and memory. I do not think I can sing the praises of this novel enough. Its use language and imagery is impressive. Coming in at 190 pages, Tinkers is in novella territory. Do not be fooled by its size, the story is expansive and highly detailed. This is a book that made me want to exist within its pages. I wanted to stand where the characters stood, and experience the world as they did. I have a feeling that I will be revisiting Tinkers in the future, the book will stay with me, and it will mean different things to me at different points in my life.
I realize, in the past, I have been critical of fiction. Most of the time it is because most fiction is inaccessible. Books need to be enjoyable, fiction doubly so. Tinkers has the ability to be both accessible, and then not at the same time. The story weaves in and out of time, much like Slaughterhouse-Five. The fantastic elements of Tinkers come mainly though projection and symbolism. It would be a great book for a the fifth or sixth meeting of a book club, or possibly, a book read over a long weekend.
Next up is Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America. This is a book that's been sitting on my shelf for years. It has been recommended more than once and I feel like I need to get it out of the way.
Paul Harding has a problem. Tinkers, his first novel, won the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. When he publishes his second novel constant comparisons will be made. Harding will have to wade though that mire, and come out the other end. He has to, because his stories are begging to be told. They tap into something very basic and make it poetic. The novel made regular men jump out of reality, and exist in a place right next to us. George Washington Crosby teaches the reader to live though death and memory. I do not think I can sing the praises of this novel enough. Its use language and imagery is impressive. Coming in at 190 pages, Tinkers is in novella territory. Do not be fooled by its size, the story is expansive and highly detailed. This is a book that made me want to exist within its pages. I wanted to stand where the characters stood, and experience the world as they did. I have a feeling that I will be revisiting Tinkers in the future, the book will stay with me, and it will mean different things to me at different points in my life.
I realize, in the past, I have been critical of fiction. Most of the time it is because most fiction is inaccessible. Books need to be enjoyable, fiction doubly so. Tinkers has the ability to be both accessible, and then not at the same time. The story weaves in and out of time, much like Slaughterhouse-Five. The fantastic elements of Tinkers come mainly though projection and symbolism. It would be a great book for a the fifth or sixth meeting of a book club, or possibly, a book read over a long weekend.
Next up is Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America. This is a book that's been sitting on my shelf for years. It has been recommended more than once and I feel like I need to get it out of the way.
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