Here are my top five favorite “little novels” — great choices for those of us with little time. Most of these books came to me as pass-alongs, which I find is a much more reliable way of finding great books than reviews or browsing. Finally, one common element to all five is their use of lyric, or poetic, language. I can’t help that; I’m a poet!
| <IFRAME style="WIDTH: 120px; HEIGHT: 240px" marginWidth=0 marginHeight=0 src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=wwwvibrantnat-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=0312311109&fc1=000000&IS2=1 | 1. Achilles: a Novel By Elizabeth Cook The story of Achilles told in a tight, unromanticized, almost brutal manner that feels utterly contemporary. I was really taken aback and loved that feeling. |
| <IFRAME style="WIDTH: 120px; HEIGHT: 240px" marginWidth=0 marginHeight=0 src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=wwwvibrantnat-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=0393321797&fc1=000000&IS2=1 | 2. The Fly Truffler By Gustav Sobin My favorite subjects: grief and obsession. A middle-aged professor lives in a run-down farmhouse in France. His student-wife Juliette died, but somehow he seduces her into visiting him at night by eating truffles, till his hallucinations and his longing for truffles completely overpower him. It’s magic-realism–lush, dense, and sensual. ‘Delicious’ is the right word. |
| <IFRAME style="WIDTH: 120px; HEIGHT: 240px" marginWidth=0 marginHeight=0 src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=wwwvibrantnat-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=1883642442&fc1=000000&IS2=1 | 3. Hero by Fred Dillen Behind the scenes at a rather dingy restaurant with one of its rather unlikable servers (Hero). This was long before the reality shows and tell-all memoirs of restaurant life. It does the job better too. No editorializing, just strong characters, atmosphere, and good writing. Originally published by Steerforth Press. |
| <IFRAME style="WIDTH: 120px; HEIGHT: 240px" marginWidth=0 marginHeight=0 src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=wwwvibrantnat-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=0374527342&fc1=000000&IS2=1 | 4. At the Bottom of the River by Jamaica Kincaid I read this while on retreat at Hopscotch House. It’s like having a mezzo-soprano sing just for you. It’s steered by imagery, sound, and texture, rather than plot. |
| <IFRAME style="WIDTH: 120px; HEIGHT: 240px" marginWidth=0 marginHeight=0 src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=wwwvibrantnat-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=014200331X&fc1=000000&IS2=1 | 5. The Story of Lucy Gault by William Trevor A sweet old-fashioned novel with a heroine named Lucy who manages to turn the wrong way at all the important intersections in her life. It’s sad, simple, and beautifully written. |
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