Unfortunately, the powers that be saw to it that my weekend was one hour shorter than usual, and consequently I never did get to spend any time staring blankly at a wall as I had hoped I might. But fortunately, between being depressed by fine film and watching friends perform at the annual Metro Times Blowout, I was able to spend some time making headway on the 6th novel of 2007, Carolyn Parkhurst's Lost and Found.
Lost and Found tells the story of contestants participating in an Amazing Raceesque reality game show. Essentially, the novel is a character study of the contestants themselves, whose motivations for being on the show are quite varied. Among the teams are the former child stars who are hoping to resuscitate their stalled careers, a mother/daughter team who hope to forge a connection after the teenage daughter hides a unplanned pregnancy from her distracted mother (that is until she gives birth in her bedroom. oops), and a married couple who are both "reformed" homosexuals with a goal of spreading their message that homosexuality can be overcome and their "happy," traditional marriage is proof. Like any reality show there are unexpected twists and turns and the term "reality" is applied only loosely, thus ensuring plenty of drama.
As a self-professed reality television junky it should come as no surprise that I enjoyed Lost and Found quite a bit, although I probably would have liked it nonetheless since the characters were intriguing, it was funny when it needed to be, and the dramatic moments were genuine without becoming trite. So well done, Parkhurst. I approve.
Up Next: (because I need a laugh) The Areas of My Expertise, by John Hodgman
Lost and Found tells the story of contestants participating in an Amazing Raceesque reality game show. Essentially, the novel is a character study of the contestants themselves, whose motivations for being on the show are quite varied. Among the teams are the former child stars who are hoping to resuscitate their stalled careers, a mother/daughter team who hope to forge a connection after the teenage daughter hides a unplanned pregnancy from her distracted mother (that is until she gives birth in her bedroom. oops), and a married couple who are both "reformed" homosexuals with a goal of spreading their message that homosexuality can be overcome and their "happy," traditional marriage is proof. Like any reality show there are unexpected twists and turns and the term "reality" is applied only loosely, thus ensuring plenty of drama.
As a self-professed reality television junky it should come as no surprise that I enjoyed Lost and Found quite a bit, although I probably would have liked it nonetheless since the characters were intriguing, it was funny when it needed to be, and the dramatic moments were genuine without becoming trite. So well done, Parkhurst. I approve.
Up Next: (because I need a laugh) The Areas of My Expertise, by John Hodgman
Labels: authors P-T, books, fiction
1 Comments:
Glad you liked it, my dear! And seriously, we need to start investigating auditioning for AR. Time to stop talking and start doing...
Post a Comment
<< Home