The Miranda Complex Volume 2

by Barry Smolin

In Volume 2 of Barry Smolin's trilogy The Miranda Complex, Lance Atlas is still sitting at the La Brea Tar Pits midway through the summer of 1979 after having run into Miranda Savitch at a party the night before. Here he focuses on a year that spans the summer of 1976 to the summer of 1977, a year of new awakenings and massive distractions, the fulcrum upon which everything balances and against which everything is measured. Los Angeles is once again the backdrop and the musical soundtrack is vintage cool-nerd. This time 'round, Lance is willing to lose it all, himself included. New friends and old flames abound as does a very seductive oblivion. His muses point the way upward.

430 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2017

Reviews

[Daniel Victor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Novelists rely on various tricks of the trade to add verisimilitude to their works. Some employ detailed descriptions; others, historical accuracy. Readers of the first volume of “The Miranda Complex,” will recognize author Barry Smolin’s recreation of 1970’s teenage jargon as the cornerstone of credibility for the second installment of his compelling trilogy. Which is not to downplay the other familiar characteristics. There are intellectual moments like the exegesis on the Biblical story of Jonah. There are the lyrics of a wide range of songwriters from Elton John and Jerry Garcia to Neil Young and Frank Loesser. Though mainly there are the lyrics written by Lance Atlas, the narrator and protagonist of the Miranda trilogy and, of course, a “front” for the talents of the author himself [see the CD’s of “Mr. Smolin”]. There are the references to familiar Los Angeles landmarks like the Hollywood Bowl, the Griffith Observatory and the late Ships Coffee Shop. Concerning Fairfax High School, there are drama productions and “snatch breakfasts” and brilliant scenes in English classes. In fact, one suspects that the insightful discussions of authors like Henry Miller and Allen Ginsberg as well as literary works like “Bartleby the Scrivener” and “The Grapes of Wrath” were inspired by the actual analyses of the talented teachers at the school back then.

If readers are to examine “The Miranda Complex” correctly, however, they must focus most of their attention on Lance Atlas, the meditative teenager in the midst of his high school years. Forever attracted to the bewitching Miranda Savitch, Lance continues the inability to connect with her that propelled Volume 1. In " Volume 2: Poppies," we watch as he continues his odyssey from one young lady to the next thanks to the encouragement--or lack thereof--from various girlfriends. There is good reason indeed for him to quote Heine (in German) about the Lorelei, the Siren-like water-spirit who leads sailors to their deaths. In this case, such temptresses lead him to greater sexual awareness, but as we observe his growing enlightenment, we also watch him move farther away from the woman who most fascinates him. At least for the time being.

Lance Atlas is a kind of modern Prufrock, questioning not only the meaning of the universe but even his right to occupy it. As a result, we recognize these high school students as neither immature children nor miniature adults, but rather as individuals in their own right dealing with the same universe that their older (and younger) fellow human beings must confront. There is much to ponder in the teenage minds Smolin presents, and this presentation is nowhere better illustrated than in the argot of the teenagers themselves.

Think Mozart or Beethoven for great music (Lance thinks Mahler); think Rembrandt or Picasso for great paintings. When it comes to the art of mastering Teenspeak, think Barry Smolin. From the ambiguous “nyeah,’”the simultaneous positive and negative response to life, to “yeahzactly,” the polar opposite of ambiguity, language reveals the drama of teenage life in urban America. Above all else, Smolin’s novel epitomizes the concept of “Logopoeia,” the poetic term which Ezra Pound defined as “the dance of the intellect among words.” Read “The Miranda Complex Volume 2” and prepare to be mesmerized by Smolin’s exhilarating artistry.