I've got a little backlog of books to mention, but the most recently finished is You Remind Me of Me by Dan Chaon, which incidentally comes out in paperback this week. I became familiar with Chaon through his short story "The Bees," which I taught in 12th grade English this year. The creepiness of "The Bees" really drew me in, so I grabbed Chaon's debut novel when I got a chance.
It's told in vignettes that nearly stand alone (he is indeed a short story writer), and revolves around three main characters. In many ways, it is a novel about adoption (Chaon is adopted), but I found it to be more about what it means to be a misfit in society. It's especially well done in that it's never overly dramatic, never over-the-top. I recommend it. There are a few cheesy phrases here and there, but in general, it is incredibly well-crafted (even though each chapter begins with a date, I was never struggling to piece together a timeline).
Posted by waking slow at June 8, 2005 05:01 PM