Postby Chris Beckett » Thu Jul 22, 2010 6:32 am
Finished Joe Hill's Heart-Shaped Box earlier this week and started "Rita Hayworth & the Shawshank Redemption" right after.
The son writes as well as the father. Hill really set the mood of the story well and had me creeped out in the opening chapters like I haven't been while reading a book for a long time. The only thin lacking for me was an emotional connection with the main characters. Not that these were sympathetic characters, which was kind of the point, but still, with any of his Dad's novels I've always felt an immediate connection with a character that kept me involved. With Heart-Shaped Box, I found myself setting it aside for months at a time. But I would definitely recommend it. And, with the characters as envisioned Hill was able to have them grow as people through the narrative, allowing them to find redemption.
Also have Accidental Genius on the night stand, a biography of John Cassavettes, widely regarded as the father of the independent film. I recently discovered his movies through the Criterion collection and am really enjoying a look at an actor/filmmaker who bucked the system and managed to survive and eventually flourish. He probably could not have done it at any time other than when he started in the 50s.
chris
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