Heartbreakingly Beautiful

Hello,
The weather is beautiful and I find myself with a lot of leisure time. I haven't been this free for a long time. Spent years as a work-a-holic & now I have an open schedule. Too bad my wifi has become inconstant. Well as Mick says "You can't always get what you want." True dat.

I had an awesome time last night at book club. Zach, former co-worker & book club moderator, had also arranged for us to talk with the author via phone. It was very cool. He answered our questions in a wonderfully honest way. Vlautin indicated that he sees his characters as real people. This must be hard because his novels are horribly grim. The brothers in Motel Life, and Alison Johnson in Northline are lost troubled souls. In contrast Vlautin seems like an easy going fellow. It was great talking to him and I thank Zach for pulling that together. Vlautin is a talented writer. His wounded characters will break your heart. He is an author to keep an eye on.

Review
Northline
The main character at the center of Northline is a lost soul. She has such a lack of self that the reader doesn't even know her name. She has been abused, scared, and deserted. She has decided it's time to leave her awful life in Las Vegas. It is at this moment of strength that writer Willy Vlautin reveals to the reader her name. It is up to Alison Johnson to find herself and deal with her pain. However this is not some cheesy uplifting woman overcomes all story, Vlautin gives us a more complex story. For every two steps forward that Alison makes she moves 3 steps back. It's rough to improve your own self image when you don't feel you deserve to be happy. She is wonderfully wounded and complex, this makes her small victories immense. If it's not clear I'll say it out right: I fell in love with Alison Johnson. This is all thanks to Vlautin's ability to create characters that are real. Although he still incorporates fantasy, here it's Paul Newman, Vlautin's writing is full of carefully chosen small moments. Moments like a gift of a snow globe, or a night of bingo, are magical when contrasted with the dark underside of living in Reno. I definitely reccommend this one.

(BTW if possible get the copy with a free soundtrack CD. Writer Willy Vlautin is also a musician in the band Richmond Fontaine. He ended up writing a few instrumentals that serve as a soundtrack to Northline. It was included with my Harper Perrenial paperback. Check it out.)

Other Reviews
The Independent | Book Soup | The Guardian

The Reading List
Books
Starman Omnibus Vol. 2
Goodbye To All That

Magazine
Four Four Two

Comic
Flash: Rebirth #2

Comic Pull List: TBD

Check Out Count: Getting better. Really.

Have a great week! Book Slave.