The Empty Page

by Peter Wild

Decapitated hands, marrow-coloured goo, serial killing Dr Zhivago fanatics and double-sided dildos make their mark on "The Empty Fiction" inspired by Sonic Youth. Reddy K is chasing up fresh spiral from the big tube...Ulla Shooks is testifying, countering the wicked with the godly, Michael Chambers is enjoying an empty restaurant for what may be the last time, and Sue Carlyle is buying a penis. And that's just the tip of an ugly and decidedly surreal iceberg.

Genres: Music

256 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2008

Reviews

[Brendan Telford · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bought on a whim, being a rabid SY fan. Didn't expect it to be as good as it was actually. Some really solid writers here, and some solid stories too. I enjoyed My Sister Goo, Disappearer (although a single line in it kinda ruins the ending - edit it out and it is much stronger), That's All I Know (Right Now), Kool Thing and Rain On Tin the most - a couple of which I might use in my creative writing classes in future. Some of the writers here (it was published in 2008) have impressed me since - Laird Hunt, Tom McCarthy, Emily Maguire, Jess Walter especially. So yeah, a surprisingly worthwhile read!

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

I do enjoy a short story collection..I also enjoy sonic youth..as such this find was worthwhile.

[Kieran · Rating 3 out of 5]

As an anthology it was decent enough. I found some of the stories a bit hit and miss, but at the same time I expect that from an anthology. I'm not too familiar with Sonic Youth myself, they are a band that I always have the intention to listen to, so I had no preconceptions going in. I found "My Friend Goo" a very difficult read. At one point I couldn't read more than a page a day. All in all though its worth a read.

[Jesse · Rating 3 out of 5]

These short stories inspired by Sonic Youth songs were all pretty enjoyable, and I like the concept, though nothing blew me out of the water. I dug Tom McCarthy's "Kool Thing," about Patty Hearst. Other stuff was alright.

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cool collection of stories inspired by Sonic Youth songs. Great work especially by Jess Walter, Katherine Dunn, Samuel Ligon. I have a story in here too, called "Swimsuit Issue," based on the song from Dirty. This is a UK release but is supposedly coming out from HarperCollins later this year.