Generation Next

Critics are raving about the debut of two new authors

By Regan Eberhart

One book that should not be judged by its cover is On This Day(HarperCollins Publishers, 2003), a debut novel by Nathaniel Bellows '95.At first glance, it appears to be a sad, angst-filled story; the book's theme is dismal enough—two young people lose both parents, one to cancer and one to suicide, and must make a place for themselves in their changed world. Yet, in the hands of Bellows, this tale is wonderfully engaging.

Eighteen-year-old Warren tells the story as he reviews past and present events, almost randomly. Through this process he figures out what happened in his family and comes to understand himself. Part of the fun for the reader is watching his personal mystery unfold. Warren and his older sister are confronted with many challenges, including distasteful relatives and the theft of their inheritance. Eventually Warren realizes that he needs help, "every sort of help there might be," even as his sister reaches different conclusions.

Bellows's ability to create visual detail is at the heart of the book's power. Warren's frequent observations make penetrating prose. His elderly aunt's tan has "an eerie shellacked glow," and her hair "is the color of a peach—all the colors of a peach; it has the look and texture of cotton candy, a series of intricate wisps combed into place." When he encounters the body of his dead father, he calmly notes, "His skin had changed, was changing before me, pale white into gray into beige into yellow, the way a teabag changes color when it dries on the edge of a saucer."

This is a story one sees. In fact, before Bellows wrote the book, he drew it—24 drawings in all. "The drawings became like a set of training wheels," he explains, "steadying the story as it took shape. [They] helped me arrange the sometimes complicated recollections and associated images."

Bellows's ability to pull off such a complex rendering so effortlessly in a first novel portends even more compelling fiction to come.

Officer Friendly and Other Stories(HarperCollins Publishers, 2003) by Lewis Robinson '93 is a debut collection of short stories linked by their location, Point Allison, Maine, and environs, and an offbeat tone that often turns menacing. Robinson mixes the unexpected with the usual, the twisted character with just average folks, often with surprises.
The book begins with a story in which a local man agrees to fix the boat of a married couple visiting the area. The friendly rescuer seems to transmogrify into a threat as he makes intimidating innuendoes veiled in humor, and the young husband must decide what to do. In "Eiders" a father and son are duck hunting for Thanksgiving lunch. Their tentative camaraderie turns ugly when the father takes his son's poor aim as a personal affront.

Robinson presents his characters with situations completely at odds with their experience and expectations. The title story, for example, pits a couple of teenage kids against a cop they've known since grade school. As they try to elude him, they realize he is hurt. Instead of using the opportunity to escape, they find themselves helping him, befuddled and impressed by their own actions. One of the collection's oddest tales is "The Toast." A young stranger is invited to the birthday party of the aging former governor of Maine. After being plied with drinks and seduced by the sensual bartender, the stranger is asked to execute the birthday boy, who is terminally ill and requests "that at midnight we shoot him dead."
Readers beware: Robinson's fast-moving, spare style and his quirky characters caught in unusual dilemmas will pull you in and tangle your mind.

Also Noteworthy

Bruce Genereaux '86 skied Tuckerman's Ravine in New Hampshire when he was 11. The slope was 45- to 55-degrees, and the snow was 50-feet deep in places. Since then, his appetite for adventure in myriad ways—roiling rapids, mountain outcroppings, and extreme ski slopes—has rushed onward.

In his book Beyond the Comfort Zone: Confessions of an Extreme SportsJunkie (Class Five Press, 2002), Genereaux discloses lessons he learned as he sought adventure, how his ignorance or his attitude clouded his judgment in situations that could have cost him his life. The extent of his addiction becomes clear with his recount of a trip down Arizona's Salt River, with class III and IV rapids. Genereaux bought a kayak just before the trip and, "using a book for guidance," tried to teach himself the Eskimo roll (essential for such river excursions). Before heading into the river, he bartered oranges for rolling lessons with some expert kayakers, and then took off, with only a 50-percent successful roll rate. Beyond the Comfort Zone provides much insight into the nature of a thrill seeker.

Nancy Heller '70 has done a huge favor for the artistically unenlightened with her book Why a Painting Is Like a Pizza (Princeton University Press, 2002). Using clear language and ample pictures, she explains how to use analytical tools to appreciate and understand modern art. Heller, a professor of art history, has a knack for explaining complex concepts by relating them to ordinary examples. Hence a pizza—with its seemingly random pattern—and a painting by Jackson Pollock have much in common. And the decisions an artist makes about aesthetics don't differ much from those of a customer choosing a shirt from a Lands' End catalog. This book is for those who want to be able to speak about art with conviction or to understand why they like or dislike an object or painting.

For Teens Only (HarperCollins Publishers, 2003) by Carol Weston (M.A. Spanish '79) should not be limited to teens. Weston, advice columnist and author of Girltalk and the Melanie Martin books, has put together a marvelous collection of quotes from a broad assortment of people. The quotes each lead into a bit of Weston's big-sisterly advice for a happy, productive life, and she covers most bases, from body image, to family, to work. Her clear-headed approach to life is delivered in such an honest way that the message gets across. In the section about parents, for example, Weston acknowledges that some parents are less than ideal, yet she points out that sometimes the teen can effect change in the home: "If you are less quick to get mad at them or make fun of them or ignore them, they may turn nicer before your very eyes." Throughout the book, Weston offers ways for young people to maintain power over their lives. And these empowering messages are good for everyone, no matter the age.

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