Flat

by Mark MacDonald

A dead man is discovered in his apartment, surrounded by notes, books, and other assorted fragments of his life. A distant acquaintance is called in to clean up the mess, clear out the space, and try to make sense of the suicide, which leads to his own world being turned upside down. As he sifts through the evidence of his friend's life and death, the things he once thought of as certain cannot now be taken for granted, subsumed by the anonymous urban chaos of Vancouver's West End, a world populated by voyeurs, exhibitionists, and lonely outcasts looking for a way out, and a way in. Elegantly written and full of sharp bursts of wit, "Flat" explores how we relate?and don't relate?to one another, amid an unforgiving concrete landscape that holds more secrets than it can bear.

137 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2000

Reviews

[Liam Ostermann · Rating 3 out of 5]

The three stars may be unfair - I liked the book when I read and wanted to read more by the author (though beware most of the books listed under 'Mark MacDonald' on GR are not by this author!) but I read this book twice and it has stayed with me. It just didn't completely grab me - but as I write this I think maybe there was a part of this book that frightened me - a certain despair or nihilism that I didn't want to face. Definitely a book to read again.

[Adam · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting writing style that felt young, as if MacDonald is still forging his path. But with shades of Danielewski and Palanhiuk, this book was a neat read.