You guys have got to check this writer out. He's the BEST new writer I have found in a long long time. The first book of his I read, The Laughing Sutra, was just delightful, and so I started reading his other stuff and he just keeps hitting home runs one after the other.
Iron and Silk, his memoir of his time teaching English in China, reads like a series of connected short stories, and is like a beautiful jewel. His other novel The Soloist is really good too, and did not disappoint me. Then his latest novel, Lying Awake was completely transcendant. I keep thinking he can't get any better.
Along the way I swatted up another memoir of his, Lost in Place, subtitled "Growing up Absurd in Surburbia", all about his childhood and adolescence. Every bit of it is so alive and true. This guy is a fantastic writer.
Now I'm reading the latest memoir he wrote called True Notebooks. Each time I'm reading a memoir of his, I think those are best, then when I read one of his novels I think, no, his novels are even better, but there's no question that this memoir is the best thing yet. It's amazing. It's about him teaching a writing class at a juvenile detention facility. The kids are mostly in for murder. There's a Sister Carlotta character in there too. But please don't think it's cliche. It's ANYTHING but cliche. It has me laughing and crying and boggling with wonder at ever chapter. You guys have GOT to read Mark Salzman.
If you buy one of his books and read it and don't love it, then I will buy it back from you for the full purchase price plus shipping. I am going to want multiple copies to give away, anyway, so it works out fine for me too.
[ February 06, 2004, 02:51 PM: Message edited by: ak ]
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
Thanks for the recommendation. I'll be heading to the library this weekend to recheck some stuff. I'll see if they have any of his work there.
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