(Current fiction and quality fiction of the past.)
Examiner often looks back in time to see a better novel, something younger contemporary readers may have missed.
One reason is Examiner doesn’t dig pop stuff like “Freedom” by Jonathan Franzen (review here was not kind, either – Aug. 17, 2010 -- quoting Janis Joplin singing "Me and Bobby McGee" – where “Freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose.” True, Time magazine went nuts over it, but that’s their problem.
The real reason, however, for glancing back is a great affection Examiner holds for folks who love the action-adventure of writing novels. It can be more fun than a barrel of monkeys, if you let it.
By exposing readers to “The Sexual Occupation of Japan” (HarperCollins) by Richard Setlowe, published in 1999 and available in a paperback “The Deal” (Avon), readers are likely to learn something about the craft of writing itself. Try “Sexual Occupation” or, if you prefer, some other novel by Setlowe. By the way, the Avon link leads to Amazon, since for some technical reason the web site Avon doesn't yield "The Deal."
Think of this reading as an adventure in mythology. Setlowe’s novels: “The Brink” (Arthur Fields Books) 1976, “The Experiment” (Holt, Rinehart and Winston) 1980, “The Black Sea” (Ticknor and Fields) 1991, and “The Haunting of Suzanna Blackwell” (Henry Holt & Co.) 1984.
When “The Sexual Occupation of Japan” was first published, Publishers Weekly reviewed it thusly:
“A fearless blend of thriller, love story and sharp lesson in cultural mistrust, Setlowe's latest novel delves potently and with frightening immediacy into Asian nationalism and politics. His plot involves the Japanese mob, high-stakes international economic and sexual rivalries, and old war wounds still complicating relations between Japan and the U.S.” – Copyright © Publishers Weekly
That “fearless blend” caught Examiner’s eye. Many good novels aren’t a genre but rather a combination, or blend. Here’s what you do: After reading a Setlowe novel, go to Setlowe’s own web site (Richard Setlowe). That’s where he’s published a series of lessons designed to lead would-be authors into the not-so-mysterious realm of the published. Frankly, the lessons are more meticulous than Examiner’s own shirt-sleeve lessons (How to write your 1st novel).
Examiner specifically liked Setlowe’s conclusion:
“This then is nothing less than the ancient formula that transforms the chaos and energy of individual human experience into a myth that echoes in our collective consciousness. ‘Myth embodies the nearest approach to absolute truth that can be stated in words.’ —Ananda Coomaraswamy, metaphysician, author of ‘The Transformation of Nature in Art.’” – Copyright © Richard Setlowe
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EXAMINER’S BEST: How to write your 1st novel
EXAMINER’S NOVELS: Splat! A Light in Polanco
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