Customer Comments

Matt Martinson has commented on (5) products.

Almost Invisible: Poems by Mark Strand

Matt Martinson, January 30, 2013

I recently finished this miracle of a book. Each of its brief fifty pages consists of one paragraph. Each paragraph is something indefinable. They are not stories per se, nor are they poems exactly; they are too long to be aphorisms, too whole to be fragments, too concrete to be metaphysical, and too surreal to be flash fiction. Of course, defining something by what it is not only gets us so far. Perhaps I could call them scenes, but even that description doesn't quite fit. Maybe I can call them scenarios that evoke particular ideas, emotions, and questions. But that is still not good enough. So here's what I'm going to do: I will say what I think of the book, then provide an example for you to judge for yourself.

So what did I think of this book? I loved it. Absolutely loved it. I wished I could spend hours with each paragraph, ruminating upon it. But I also was so anxious to get to the next one that I had a hard time stopping myself. There's not much to say beyond that without gushing. So here is one of my favorite examples:

"Bury Your Face in Your Hands"
Because we have crossed the river and the wind offers only a numb uncoiling of cold and we have meekly adapted, no longer expecting more than we have been given, nor wondering how it happened that we came to this place, we don't mind that nothing turned out as we thought it might. There is no way to clear the haze in which we live, no way to know that we have undergone another day. The silent snow of thought melts before it has a chance to stick. Where we are is anyone's guess. The gates to nowhere multiply and the present is so far away, so deeply far away.

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Twilight by William Gay

Matt Martinson, September 20, 2012

I rarely get good book recommendations, but Twilight was a fantastic exception. The plot, action, and characters in this book are so evil, yet it is so well written! The book starts with two siblings digging up graves, yet they aren't the antagonists. Then we meet the undertaker, who mistreats the dead in horrific ways, yet he also is not the most sinister character in the book. Trust me, when you meet this villain, you will be mesmerized and appalled. Although I've read O'Connor, Faulkner, and the like, I don't typically seek out Southern Gothic lit--but I now intend to read all of Gay's works, which are unfortunately few. If you like good writing, read this book. I have no idea why Gay isn't discussed and applauded more often. Read it now!

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Lost in the Funhouse (Anchor Literary Library) by John Barth

Matt Martinson, August 4, 2012

From the first story--once I realized it was a first-person narrative of a sperm, not a salmon as I'd originally thought--I was drawn into this book. Barth is hilarious and clever, but he also expands what is possible with fiction. Many of the stories are a kind of metafiction, very self aware, without seeming pretentious or annoying. Instead, I found myself highly interested, entertained, and happy about the entire book. I highly recommend it!

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Love and Capital: Karl and Jenny Marx and the Birth of a Revolution by Mary Gabriel

Matt Martinson, January 9, 2012

Although Gabriel occasionally tries a little too hard to produce some pathos, as some reviewers have noted, Love and Capital is fantastic. First, it offers a thorough, compelling image of Karl Marx's personal life. We are introduced not only to Jenny Marx, but to his friendship with Engels, his relationship with other revolutionaries (especially Bakunin), and the lives (and deaths) of his children. These stories are powerful, sometimes heartbreaking, and are very useful for breaking through the half-truths and lies surround Marx's life. Instead, we are shown his sacrifices, failures, and successes as they truly were. Second, Gabriel provides a thorough-but-interesting historical narrative, showing what was going on in the world and how Marx reacted to it, as well as how it affected his day-to-day life. Which leads to the third thing, which is that in the book we get a behind-the-scenes understanding of what went into Marx's works; what he read when writing certain documents, who he was talking to or angry at at that particular moment, and how his personal life and professional life intertwined. Finally, as Gabriel notes, there are many similarities to Marx's time and our own; reading this book while watching the news in 2011/12 will certainly cause you to stop and think about why Marx continues to matter today. If you are interested in Marx as a person, or his legacy, or in the philosophical, political, or economic issues being discussed today, Love and Capital is a must-read book.

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Freedom: A Novel by Jonathan Franzen

Matt Martinson, January 3, 2011

Franzen's earlier works are great, but Freedom is exceptional. I can't believe how easily he draws the reader into the characters, who are loveable because they feel compellingly real in their bad decisions, moral failures, and occasional victories. An absolutely fantastic work.

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