Bethlehem

Wholly Writ: Last Year in Books

February 8th, 2010 |

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Wholly Writ is a recurring series in Stories From The Road, celebrating creative writing from the perspective of writer and reader. Sojourn believes that humans are creative because God is our creator. Our creative expression is a manifestation of the doctrine of imago dei – that we are created “In the image of God.” If you attend Sojourn and are interested in creative writing or inspired by this column, join The City, our online community. There, we will soon launch a Creative Writing group.

Notice: this list is not a “Best of” kind of thing. These are just simply some books published in 2009 that you should probably read for one reason or another.

Delicate, Edible Birds, stories by Lauren Groff. Groff is something of a local legend: she was an Axton Fellow at the University of Louisville until she was discovered by Stephen King who came across her short story “L. DeBard and Aliette” while editing his 2007 edition of Best American Short Stories. King endorsed her debut novel The Monsters of Templeton, and Groff was fast-tracked to critical acclaim. It’s the kind of fairy-tale ending that never happens, except when it does. “L. DeBard and Aliette” is published in Delicate, Edible Birds, Groff’s second book, along with eight other stories. See especially “Watershed” and “The Wife of the Dictator.”

The Romantics, by Galt Niederhoffer. That Niederhoffer is first and foremost a filmmaker is patently clear just a few pages into this, her second novel. Though there’s perhaps nothing new in the storyline, The Romantics just doesn’t sound like any other novel you’ve read –unless it’s her debut novel A Taxonomy of Barnacles. Her voice is deliberately distant and analytical as she profiles (dissects, even) the many East-coast, high-society characters she encounters. If you’re interested in what seems to be Niederhoffer’s unspoken protest against the writerly lore of “showing, not telling,” it’s certainly something to take in.

Both ways is the only way I want it, stories by Maile Meloy. If you’re wondering about Maile’s last name, then we need to be friends because Maile Meloy is, in fact, the sister of Colin Meloy, the genius behind The Decemberists. I was initially disappointed to find that Maile’s style is nothing like the deliciously dreary pageantry found in her brother’s lyrics (as I was secretly hoping it would be). Maile’s writing has a studied plainness to it (perhaps in reaction to melodramatic Colin?), which is no less literary or satisfying in the end. See especially “Liliana.”

The Composer is Dead, by Lemony Snicket. “The violin section is divided into the First Violins, who have trickier parts to play, and the Second Violins, who are more fun at parties.” The Composer is a children’s story: let’s get that out of the way. But Snicket (otherwise known as Daniel Handler, of The Basic Eight, Adverbs and several others) has a distinctly quirky style that emerges as hilariously in his children’s lit. as it does in his writing for grown-ups. As in the quote above, his teacherly dryness is often punctuated with moments of unexpected wit. And, as if you needed further encouragement, The Composer is illustrated by none other than Carson Ellis, wife of Colin Meloy and album illustrator for the Decemberists.