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Martin Sloane: A Novel.
by Michael Redhill
- Used
- Paperback
- Condition
- See description
- ISBN 10
- 0316739367
- ISBN 13
- 9780316739368
- Seller
-
Oregon City, Oregon, United States
Payment Methods Accepted
About This Item
Paperback Very Good+ in Wraps: shows indications of very careful use: just a hint of wear to the extremities, with the faintest crease at the lower front corner tip; mild rubbing to wrapper covers; three tiny soil spots at the upper outside edge of the rear panel; the binding shows very slight lean, but remains perfectly secure; text clean. No longer pristine, but remains close to 'As New'. NOT a Remainder, Book-Club, or Ex-Library. 8vo. 282pp. Trade Paperback. I can't recall a recent book in which so many professional reviewers find so many different messages at the heart of the story... It's not that Redhill is vague or obscure; in fact, multiple messages are probably what he was hoping for. Integrating all these themes into a deceptively simple story, Redhill emphasizes that for each of us, our past always shapes our understanding of the present. Martin Sloane, a fifty-ish artist who creates enigmatic boxes, and Jolene Iolas, a college student who falls in love with him and his artwork, speak to the reader unpretentiously about the past and present, and one quickly identifies with them, falling into the rhythm of their alternating voices. Martin's inexplicable disappearance from Jolene's apartment and Jolene's renewed search for him many years later provide a framework for the story, along with unlimited opportunities for the author to explore themes of love and loss, home and family, death and dying, childhood and memory, and, most of all, our personal identities as a result of our separate pasts. As the reader filters the separate and combined stories of Martin and Jolene through his/her own past experiences, s/he also distills from the author's themes whatever personal messages are relevant, pertinent, or even unique for him. Redhill's background as a poet is obvious here. His ability to compress allows him to pack short scenes with big meanings, to ensure that every detail advances his story and themes, and to create fresh images which allow the reader to see common experiences in new ways. Wonderful, pithy observations keep the reader energized and involved on many levels, while an intriguing mystery maintains the suspense. Though a transition might help to avoid some minor confusion (eventually resolved) in a couple of scenes, and a few questions of character remain unresolved, this is an amazing debut novel, one of the year's most enjoyable for me.
Synopsis
Michael Redhill is the author of four poetry collections, most recently Asphodel (1997) and Light-crossing (2001). As a playwright, his most recent works are Doubt and Building Jerusalem , winner of the 2000 Dora Award for Outstanding New Play. He is one of the editors of Brick , a literary magazine. Redhill lives and works in Toronto.
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Details
- Seller
- Black Cat Hill Books (US)
- Seller's Inventory #
- 41621
- Title
- Martin Sloane: A Novel.
- Author
- Michael Redhill
- Format/Binding
- Paperback
- Book Condition
- Used
- Quantity Available
- 1
- ISBN 10
- 0316739367
- ISBN 13
- 9780316739368
- Publisher
- Back Bay Books
- Place of Publication
- Boston, Massachusetts, U.s.a.
- This edition first published
- 2002-07
- Bookseller catalogs
- Fiction: Collectible Paperbacks; Contemporary Fiction; American Popular Fiction; Modern Fiction First Editions;
Terms of Sale
Black Cat Hill Books
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About the Seller
Black Cat Hill Books
Biblio member since 2004
Oregon City, Oregon
About Black Cat Hill Books
Black Cat Hill Books is an Internet-only bookseller.
Glossary
Some terminology that may be used in this description includes:
- Rubbing
- Abrasion or wear to the surface. Usually used in reference to a book's boards or dust-jacket.
- Good+
- A term used to denote a condition a slight grade better than Good.
- Trade Paperback
- Used to indicate any paperback book that is larger than a mass-market paperback and is often more similar in size to a hardcover...
- Remainder
- Book(s) which are sold at a very deep discount to alleviate publisher overstock. Often, though not always, they have a remainder...
- New
- A new book is a book previously not circulated to a buyer. Although a new book is typically free of any faults or defects, "new"...