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Doxology
Two generations of an American family come of age – one before 9/11, one after – in this moving and original novel from the “intellectually restless, uniquely funny” (New York Times Book Review) mind of Nell Zink
Pam, Daniel, and Joe might be the worst punk band on the Lower East Side. Struggling to scrape together enough cash and musical talent to make it, they are waylaid by surprising arrivals – a daughter for Pam and Daniel, a solo hit single for Joe. As the ‘90s wane, the three friends share in one another’s successes, working together to elevate Joe’s superstardom and raise baby Flora.
On September 11, 2001, the city’s unfathomable devastation coincides with a shattering personal loss for the trio. In the aftermath, Flora comes of age, navigating a charged political landscape and discovering a love of the natural world. Joining the ranks of those fighting for ecological conservation, Flora works to bridge the wide gap between powerful strategists and ordinary Americans, becoming entangled ever more intimately with her fellow activists along the way. And when the country faces an astonishing new threat, Flora’s family will have no choice but to look to the past – both to examine wounds that have never healed, and to rediscover strengths they have long forgotten.
At once an elegiac takedown of today’s political climate and a touching invocation of humanity’s goodness, Doxology offers daring revelations about America’s past and possible future that could only come from Nell Zink, one of the sharpest novelists of our time.
Pam, Daniel, and Joe might be the worst punk band on the Lower East Side. Struggling to scrape together enough cash and musical talent to make it, they are waylaid by surprising arrivals – a daughter for Pam and Daniel, a solo hit single for Joe. As the ‘90s wane, the three friends share in one another’s successes, working together to elevate Joe’s superstardom and raise baby Flora.
On September 11, 2001, the city’s unfathomable devastation coincides with a shattering personal loss for the trio. In the aftermath, Flora comes of age, navigating a charged political landscape and discovering a love of the natural world. Joining the ranks of those fighting for ecological conservation, Flora works to bridge the wide gap between powerful strategists and ordinary Americans, becoming entangled ever more intimately with her fellow activists along the way. And when the country faces an astonishing new threat, Flora’s family will have no choice but to look to the past – both to examine wounds that have never healed, and to rediscover strengths they have long forgotten.
At once an elegiac takedown of today’s political climate and a touching invocation of humanity’s goodness, Doxology offers daring revelations about America’s past and possible future that could only come from Nell Zink, one of the sharpest novelists of our time.
304 pages, Paperback
First published August 27, 2019
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6118 people want to read
About the author
Nell Zink
15 books412 followersNell Zink was raised in rural Virginia, a setting she draws on in her second novel, Mislaid. She attended Stuart Hall School and the College of William and Mary. In 1993, while living in West Philadelphia, Zink founded a zine called Animal Review, which ran until 1997.
Zink has worked as a secretary at Colgate-Palmolive and as a technical writer in Tel Aviv. She moved to Germany in May 2000, completing a PhD in Media Studies from the University of Tübingen. Zink has been married twice, to US citizen Benjamin Alexander Burck and to Israeli composer and poet Zohar Eitan.
After 15 years writing fiction exclusively for a single pen pal, the Israeli postmodernist Avner Shats, Zink caught the attention of Jonathan Franzen. The two writers began a correspondence.
In early 2012, Zink sent Franzen her collected manuscripts. Franzen tried unsuccessfully to interest publishers in her 1998 novel. It was Franzen’s agent who ultimately negotiated a six-figure publishing deal for Zink’s Mislaid, a novel she has described as “agent bait”.
ZInk's debut, The Wallcreeper, was published by Dorothy, a publishing project in the US in 2014 and named one of 100 Notable Books of 2014 by The New York Times. Zink lives in Bad Belzig, Germany.
Zink has worked as a secretary at Colgate-Palmolive and as a technical writer in Tel Aviv. She moved to Germany in May 2000, completing a PhD in Media Studies from the University of Tübingen. Zink has been married twice, to US citizen Benjamin Alexander Burck and to Israeli composer and poet Zohar Eitan.
After 15 years writing fiction exclusively for a single pen pal, the Israeli postmodernist Avner Shats, Zink caught the attention of Jonathan Franzen. The two writers began a correspondence.
In early 2012, Zink sent Franzen her collected manuscripts. Franzen tried unsuccessfully to interest publishers in her 1998 novel. It was Franzen’s agent who ultimately negotiated a six-figure publishing deal for Zink’s Mislaid, a novel she has described as “agent bait”.
ZInk's debut, The Wallcreeper, was published by Dorothy, a publishing project in the US in 2014 and named one of 100 Notable Books of 2014 by The New York Times. Zink lives in Bad Belzig, Germany.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 319 reviews
July 23, 2019
It’s an achievement in itself to write a political/family novel that features strange lo-fi anti-folk nerd bands from lower Manhattan and that I still don’t like: This meandering tale introduces us to an American family where the parents have roots in the musical counterculture, but then flourish in the tech upper middle class, while their millennial daughter tries to help save the environment by becoming a political activist. So yes, Zink apparently tries to reflect society and changing attitudes by describing different generations (including the grandparents) over time, but nevertheless, the book has pretty much nothing to say: If you look for a stringent narrative concept, a message, surprising twists and thoughts or elegant prose, this is not your book. It is very readable and it’s not like I had to force myself to finish it, but the world did not need this novel – sorry, Nell Zink.
The main structural element of the book is a cut: 9/11 divides the text in two halves, one focusing on the parents and their friend, weirdo rock star Joe, the other one centering around on Flora, the daughter. We all know by now that I just hate meandering stories, and this is no exception, but what makes it worse is that I did not care for the detached, wordy, overly descriptive storytelling which in large parts consists of character descriptions and boooooring theoretical reflections on current events – listen, I am a PoliSci nerd with an unhealthy news addiction who usually loves to spend whole nights discussing current events, but with their pseudo-critical sermons, Zink’s characters are jumping the shark, even for me. Zink is a member of the German Green Party, which is not comparable to the American Green Party – it is much more influential and important, a real force to be reckoned with. So when her character Flora joins the American Green Party and becomes a campaign staffer for Jill “1 %” Stein, you should expect some fascinating takes that might derive from the author’s personal knowledge of environmental politics, but: Nope. Everything is predictable, and the laments re the two party system and the never-ending beef between the Democrats are the same ones you’ve already read numerous times in case you’ve picked up a newspaper in the last four years.
As the protagonists remain flat, there is also no personal angle that might shine a new light on an old story - Zink is no Jonathan Franzen. Whenever a new character appears, Zink gives us some paragraphs with their backstories à la “tell, don’t show” – it’s clumsy, lazy and it upset me quite a bit.
So at the core, Zink juxtaposes the generation of the hedonistic 90's with their plaid shirts and ultimately pragmatic approach to the politicized millennials, and the whole thing doesn’t live up to its potential. There is also a cynical streak in this book that I did not enjoy. This is not my kind of writing.
The main structural element of the book is a cut: 9/11 divides the text in two halves, one focusing on the parents and their friend, weirdo rock star Joe, the other one centering around on Flora, the daughter. We all know by now that I just hate meandering stories, and this is no exception, but what makes it worse is that I did not care for the detached, wordy, overly descriptive storytelling which in large parts consists of character descriptions and boooooring theoretical reflections on current events – listen, I am a PoliSci nerd with an unhealthy news addiction who usually loves to spend whole nights discussing current events, but with their pseudo-critical sermons, Zink’s characters are jumping the shark, even for me. Zink is a member of the German Green Party, which is not comparable to the American Green Party – it is much more influential and important, a real force to be reckoned with. So when her character Flora joins the American Green Party and becomes a campaign staffer for Jill “1 %” Stein, you should expect some fascinating takes that might derive from the author’s personal knowledge of environmental politics, but: Nope. Everything is predictable, and the laments re the two party system and the never-ending beef between the Democrats are the same ones you’ve already read numerous times in case you’ve picked up a newspaper in the last four years.
As the protagonists remain flat, there is also no personal angle that might shine a new light on an old story - Zink is no Jonathan Franzen. Whenever a new character appears, Zink gives us some paragraphs with their backstories à la “tell, don’t show” – it’s clumsy, lazy and it upset me quite a bit.
So at the core, Zink juxtaposes the generation of the hedonistic 90's with their plaid shirts and ultimately pragmatic approach to the politicized millennials, and the whole thing doesn’t live up to its potential. There is also a cynical streak in this book that I did not enjoy. This is not my kind of writing.
September 3, 2019
“He started playing ukulele soon after his mother died.”
Even blindfolded, I would know that is a sentence by Nell Zink. That subtle intersection of the ordinary and the absurd is her trademark maneuver. Wit ricochets around her straight-faced sentences like marbles in a can. Every funny phrase sounds tossed off under her breath, an irreverent little prize for the attentive reader.
Even the facts of her life sound slightly surreal. For a few years she produced a zine about punk musicians and their pets. She was discovered by Jonathan Franzen after writing to him about a German ornithologist. She has worked in construction and holds a PhD in media studies. She is, one starts to suspect, a character in a novel by Nell Zink.
But despite its eccentricities, her latest book, “Doxology,” is surprisingly conventional. It is a long novel about an East Coast family woven into recent historical and political events. This time around, there is no straining against the dimensions of reality, no postmodern backflips. It feels like a quirky genius trying her best to behave at the dinner table.
The first, and best, section of “Doxology” is about the unusual friendship between several people born in the late ‘60s. The heroine, Pam, grows up in Northwest Washington to a pair of WASPy parents who. . . .
To read the rest of this review, go to The Washington Post:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/entert...
Even blindfolded, I would know that is a sentence by Nell Zink. That subtle intersection of the ordinary and the absurd is her trademark maneuver. Wit ricochets around her straight-faced sentences like marbles in a can. Every funny phrase sounds tossed off under her breath, an irreverent little prize for the attentive reader.
Even the facts of her life sound slightly surreal. For a few years she produced a zine about punk musicians and their pets. She was discovered by Jonathan Franzen after writing to him about a German ornithologist. She has worked in construction and holds a PhD in media studies. She is, one starts to suspect, a character in a novel by Nell Zink.
But despite its eccentricities, her latest book, “Doxology,” is surprisingly conventional. It is a long novel about an East Coast family woven into recent historical and political events. This time around, there is no straining against the dimensions of reality, no postmodern backflips. It feels like a quirky genius trying her best to behave at the dinner table.
The first, and best, section of “Doxology” is about the unusual friendship between several people born in the late ‘60s. The heroine, Pam, grows up in Northwest Washington to a pair of WASPy parents who. . . .
To read the rest of this review, go to The Washington Post:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/entert...
April 27, 2019
The book blurb gives most of the details of what happens in Doxology. Joe, Pam and Daniel meet and form a band, Pam and Daniel have a baby (Flora) and Joe’s music career takes off. We follow the three of them (four when Flora arrives) until 11 September 2001 when tragedy strikes both New York and the trio on the same day. Getting to this point is effectively the first third of the book and is, in truth, much like many of the other novels that track groups of friends living in New York. I feel like I have read a large number of these novels (it’s a great city full of interesting characters, so it is hardly surprising so many authors have set a book there).
After 9/11, the focus gradually changes. Flora grows up and we alternate between her story and that of her parents/grandparents, with Flora gradually coming to the fore. Once Flora joins the activists fighting for ecological conservation and/or against Donald Trump, she comes to dominate the story.
I think it probably helps to be American (which I am not) when reading this book. Firstly, I found myself (in the UK) having to look up a large number of words that turned out to start their definition by saying “(North American)…”. They were new words for me, but would be perfectly normal, I imagine, for any North American reading the book. The story is also very much embedded in North American culture referencing a lot of trade names etc. that will be very familiar to American readers but less so to those in other countries (I didn’t know what a BoltBus is until I read this book). Finally, once the story turns political as it follows Flora, then a good understanding of American politics would be very useful, especially an awareness of some of the issues raised and people involved during Trump’s ultimately successful campaign. For a non-American reader, some of this becomes a bit confusing. During Flora’s political activity, the story telling takes a bit of a back seat with both narrative and conversational passages making political points. This is the “elegiac takedown of today’s political climate” referred to in the blurb.
Reading this book felt very much like a game of two halves. In the first part, the story of friends in New York dominates. This fades in the second part, although not completely, to be dominated by commentary on American politics. There is a lot about green issues and a quite a bit about Trump (or, at least, about people trying to stop him from becoming president).
Despite my lack of knowledge of things North American, this was an enjoyable book to read. Zink seems to have a penchant for mathematically impossible descriptions (“exponentially more wonderful”, for example, which I am told is a thing but which I have never personally heard anyone say - and also she at one point says that Joe can play more instruments than Joe, Pam and Daniel can added together, which I guess is for humour but which made my headache for a few minutes), but she also writes in a very readable way. The narratives switches focus from one protagonist to another and the third person narration seems to switch in style subtly to reflect the person whose viewpoint we are currently seeing (and I think this explains some of the slightly unusual narrative phrases that I had to read a few times, such as those above).
Overall, an interesting book to read although I am not quite sure how well some of it works outside of the United States.
My thanks to 4th Estate and William Collins for an ARC via NetGalley. I will be interested to see what reviews from North Americans have to say when the book is more widely available.
After 9/11, the focus gradually changes. Flora grows up and we alternate between her story and that of her parents/grandparents, with Flora gradually coming to the fore. Once Flora joins the activists fighting for ecological conservation and/or against Donald Trump, she comes to dominate the story.
I think it probably helps to be American (which I am not) when reading this book. Firstly, I found myself (in the UK) having to look up a large number of words that turned out to start their definition by saying “(North American)…”. They were new words for me, but would be perfectly normal, I imagine, for any North American reading the book. The story is also very much embedded in North American culture referencing a lot of trade names etc. that will be very familiar to American readers but less so to those in other countries (I didn’t know what a BoltBus is until I read this book). Finally, once the story turns political as it follows Flora, then a good understanding of American politics would be very useful, especially an awareness of some of the issues raised and people involved during Trump’s ultimately successful campaign. For a non-American reader, some of this becomes a bit confusing. During Flora’s political activity, the story telling takes a bit of a back seat with both narrative and conversational passages making political points. This is the “elegiac takedown of today’s political climate” referred to in the blurb.
Reading this book felt very much like a game of two halves. In the first part, the story of friends in New York dominates. This fades in the second part, although not completely, to be dominated by commentary on American politics. There is a lot about green issues and a quite a bit about Trump (or, at least, about people trying to stop him from becoming president).
Despite my lack of knowledge of things North American, this was an enjoyable book to read. Zink seems to have a penchant for mathematically impossible descriptions (“exponentially more wonderful”, for example, which I am told is a thing but which I have never personally heard anyone say - and also she at one point says that Joe can play more instruments than Joe, Pam and Daniel can added together, which I guess is for humour but which made my headache for a few minutes), but she also writes in a very readable way. The narratives switches focus from one protagonist to another and the third person narration seems to switch in style subtly to reflect the person whose viewpoint we are currently seeing (and I think this explains some of the slightly unusual narrative phrases that I had to read a few times, such as those above).
Overall, an interesting book to read although I am not quite sure how well some of it works outside of the United States.
My thanks to 4th Estate and William Collins for an ARC via NetGalley. I will be interested to see what reviews from North Americans have to say when the book is more widely available.
September 9, 2019
[Contains spoilers]
This novel is, at best, wildly overrated. I picked it up after reading a rapturous review, spurred by nostalgia for what promised to be a paean to the punk rock scene in my old hometown in the decades prior to 9/11. The book turned out to be peopled almost exclusively with privileged mercenary types, whose salient character trait is the ability to make bad choices and come out ahead. Everyone speaks in repartée; there is some beautiful lyrical writing, mostly about place, buried beneath the bons mots, but it's hard to find. It's impossible to care about any of the characters, because Zink presents them as types rather than individuals, and also because it's clear that they will be protected from any consequences of their actions (as well as any real growth or change) by their wealth and status. Zink herself seems not to love her characters; she holds them out at arm's length, and describes them with clinical, wry omniscience, attempting to get the reader to join her in gently laughing at them. But no one in the book is the least bit interesting, with the exception of Joe, who is killed off early for no good reason. The experience is like reading an overly long underground comic.
9/11 was said, at the time, to be the death-knell of irony. Writers like Nell Zink seem as if they are self-consciously trying to enshrine irony as a substitute for the hard work of actual writing. It doesn't work.
This novel is, at best, wildly overrated. I picked it up after reading a rapturous review, spurred by nostalgia for what promised to be a paean to the punk rock scene in my old hometown in the decades prior to 9/11. The book turned out to be peopled almost exclusively with privileged mercenary types, whose salient character trait is the ability to make bad choices and come out ahead. Everyone speaks in repartée; there is some beautiful lyrical writing, mostly about place, buried beneath the bons mots, but it's hard to find. It's impossible to care about any of the characters, because Zink presents them as types rather than individuals, and also because it's clear that they will be protected from any consequences of their actions (as well as any real growth or change) by their wealth and status. Zink herself seems not to love her characters; she holds them out at arm's length, and describes them with clinical, wry omniscience, attempting to get the reader to join her in gently laughing at them. But no one in the book is the least bit interesting, with the exception of Joe, who is killed off early for no good reason. The experience is like reading an overly long underground comic.
9/11 was said, at the time, to be the death-knell of irony. Writers like Nell Zink seem as if they are self-consciously trying to enshrine irony as a substitute for the hard work of actual writing. It doesn't work.
May 11, 2021
Nell Zink is a truly original novelist, with tons of wit and intellect, and an especially impressive depth of understanding of the complexities of what it means to try to live as an enlightened liberal human in an era of unfettered global capitalism. Where she falls a bit short is in piercing the hearts of her vibrantly drawn, oddball characters. But she’s intensely perceptive, and skilled at depicting recognizably weird and specific behavior, and I really never was able to remotely predict where her narrative was heading next.
I can imagine her style would be off-putting to some, but I really enjoyed this examination of a family living in ripped-from-the-headlines contemporary NYC & DC. And I look forward to reading more of her work.
I can imagine her style would be off-putting to some, but I really enjoyed this examination of a family living in ripped-from-the-headlines contemporary NYC & DC. And I look forward to reading more of her work.
June 19, 2020
Doxology isn't really about what the jacket cover says. Yes, a group of three young adults start messing around on instruments and create an indie rock group. But the band is a small part of the story. I'd say this is more about politics and the balance of power between old and young, men and women, and political parties. It's one of those stories you start reading, get into it, and then it morphs into something all together different. I liked where it was going when Joe, Pam, and Daniel started performing, and even had a gig at the notorious Manhattan venue CBGB's. But after Pam gives birth to Flora, the whole focus of the book changes. Joe becomes Flora's babysitter. On a lark, he writes a couple of hit songs and becomes famous. And then it's like you start reading a new book.
The new focus is on Flora. Flora's idealism pushes her into a career of soil expert. She travels to Ethiopia in hopes of improving the world's farming capabilities. We watch her idealism erode as she becomes more involved with the politics of the Green Party and her understanding of the career of her new boyfriend. He's a pro-Clinton democratic political consultant. Zink peppers feminism throughout the novel. We root for Flora as she must make choices that will alter the landscape of her life. Does she go for materialism or love? Status or a hopeful future? Additional degrees or practical application of her college degree? The morally correct thing or the one that will bring her the most immediate comfort?
It's a good story, one that is really a millennial's coming of age in a world of destructive climate change, a political world where all norms of decency and traditional politeness no longer exist, where lying is an art form, where men's egos dictate the course of governmental policies. I kept waiting for the story to shift back to the relevance of Joe and the artistic endeavors of the band as they became tempered by parenthood. And maybe it's subtlety went over my head. Maybe it's impossible to be a true artist as a parent in our current political system. Like a so-so boyfriend, Doxology had a lot of potential.
The new focus is on Flora. Flora's idealism pushes her into a career of soil expert. She travels to Ethiopia in hopes of improving the world's farming capabilities. We watch her idealism erode as she becomes more involved with the politics of the Green Party and her understanding of the career of her new boyfriend. He's a pro-Clinton democratic political consultant. Zink peppers feminism throughout the novel. We root for Flora as she must make choices that will alter the landscape of her life. Does she go for materialism or love? Status or a hopeful future? Additional degrees or practical application of her college degree? The morally correct thing or the one that will bring her the most immediate comfort?
It's a good story, one that is really a millennial's coming of age in a world of destructive climate change, a political world where all norms of decency and traditional politeness no longer exist, where lying is an art form, where men's egos dictate the course of governmental policies. I kept waiting for the story to shift back to the relevance of Joe and the artistic endeavors of the band as they became tempered by parenthood. And maybe it's subtlety went over my head. Maybe it's impossible to be a true artist as a parent in our current political system. Like a so-so boyfriend, Doxology had a lot of potential.
August 27, 2019
Nell Zink has proved herself to be one heck of a writer in the past, but I must admit that Doxology, her fourth novel, was not as compelling as I had anticipated. That said, it still very much packs a punch it just isn't as original an idea as her other books. It's really a tale of two halves with the first half detailing Joe, Dan and Pam's lives and the time in which they grew up. The second half focuses on Pam and Dan's daughter Flora and her coming of age in a divided America. Joe, Dan and Pam's family dramas primarily take place in the first section of the novel and then two key events take place - 9/11 and a family tragedy followed by Flora in her formative years and an exploration of current politics, environmental and ecological issues. There is quite a bit of commentary on American politics, popularism (including Trump) and activism.
This is another eminently readable, humorous and moving book from Ms Zink which covers the 1990s right through to the 2016 elections. I must admit that I found myself feeling overcome with nostalgia after some of the references to the 90s. However, the constant interruption of the narrative flow by a particular character to highlight a certain political or cultural development from the past decades spoiled the immersion at times. Despite this Zink's prowess is on show as the characterisation is astonishing (the cast felt like friends I had known forever by the end) and the richly evoked sense of time and place was impressive. This is an ambitious novel with, at times, a huge amount going on within its pages, but Zink manages to pull it off with considerable aplomb. Many thanks to Fourth Estate for an ARC.
This is another eminently readable, humorous and moving book from Ms Zink which covers the 1990s right through to the 2016 elections. I must admit that I found myself feeling overcome with nostalgia after some of the references to the 90s. However, the constant interruption of the narrative flow by a particular character to highlight a certain political or cultural development from the past decades spoiled the immersion at times. Despite this Zink's prowess is on show as the characterisation is astonishing (the cast felt like friends I had known forever by the end) and the richly evoked sense of time and place was impressive. This is an ambitious novel with, at times, a huge amount going on within its pages, but Zink manages to pull it off with considerable aplomb. Many thanks to Fourth Estate for an ARC.
December 31, 2019
3.5 stars.
I evangelize for Nell Zink, but she's a confusing author. I have very positive memories of Mislaid and The Wall Creeper and Nicotine, but I don't think I've given her more than three stars more than once. She's clearly wildly smart and has interesting things to say about society and capitalism and relationships and the environment, but I feel like the stories usually unravel, or fail to conclude in a satisfying manner.
Doxology focuses on punk-adjacent New Yorker parents and their development from scrappy scene kids to unprepared parents to accidental millionaires, true Gen X success stories. Their daughter Flora is also portrayed in a way that brings the novel into the present, to the era of Trump and a DC that is turning into an unaffordable gentrified Disneyland. Heady to read while you're inhabiting it, to be sure.
The first fifty pages of this made me smile despite myself, but the last 200-or-so pages of this felt like some tedious Ann Patchett, shot through every once in a while with morsels of razor sharp commentary. We'll see how I feel in a year's time.
I evangelize for Nell Zink, but she's a confusing author. I have very positive memories of Mislaid and The Wall Creeper and Nicotine, but I don't think I've given her more than three stars more than once. She's clearly wildly smart and has interesting things to say about society and capitalism and relationships and the environment, but I feel like the stories usually unravel, or fail to conclude in a satisfying manner.
Doxology focuses on punk-adjacent New Yorker parents and their development from scrappy scene kids to unprepared parents to accidental millionaires, true Gen X success stories. Their daughter Flora is also portrayed in a way that brings the novel into the present, to the era of Trump and a DC that is turning into an unaffordable gentrified Disneyland. Heady to read while you're inhabiting it, to be sure.
The first fifty pages of this made me smile despite myself, but the last 200-or-so pages of this felt like some tedious Ann Patchett, shot through every once in a while with morsels of razor sharp commentary. We'll see how I feel in a year's time.
November 13, 2019
I have read several books this year that have dealt in some way, at times just tangentially, with the 2016 presidential election. And now here's Nell Zink's contribution to the oeuvre, although that portion of her story comes at the end of a fairly long novel dealing with the history of American politics and culture beginning in the late 1980s, as experienced by two fairly clueless young people who moved individually to New York City from different parts of the country.
Pamela grew up in an upper-middle-class white family in Washington, D.C. She had all the privilege that such an upbringing entails, but as she neared the end of her high school years, she rebelled against the plans her parents had for her. She did not want to go to any of the colleges they suggested; she had a different vision for her life. And so she packed a few things, took what money she could scrape together, and took off to New York to pursue her vision. She had no contact with her parents after that for many years.
Daniel came from a fundamentalist Christian family in the Midwest. He managed to complete college before he fled, but he, too, made his way to New York and the two young people met there through another friend that Pamela had made, Joe Harris, who was destined to become a rock star.
The three of them are devoted to music and they play together in small, anonymous bands before Joe becomes famous. Pamela and Daniel become lovers during this period and eventually, an accidental pregnancy changes their lives. They decide to marry and when their daughter, Flora, is born, the three of them together raise her during her early years with Joe providing babysitting when the parents are at work.
During this time Joe continues to pursue his musical career with Daniel as "manager" and finally he hits the big time and starts raking in the big bucks. Then comes 9/11 and everything changes.
Pamela and Daniel are concerned for their young daughter living in the toxic air that has enveloped New York in the wake of the attacks. Pamela contacts her parents and asks to come for a visit. They take Flora there and they are all joyfully welcomed. After some time Pamela and Daniel return to New York, but they leave Flora with the grandparents and there she stays for the rest of her upbringing, occasionally making visits to New York to stay with her parents. (Why the parents so easily agreed to this is one of the mysteries unsolved by the narrative.) The remainder of the story focuses on Flora.
She grows up with a fervor to save the planet. She attends George Washington University and pursues her interest in climate change and soil erosion. She becomes increasingly politicized and, when no other jobs present themselves, in 2016 she joins the Green Party candidate Jill Stein's campaign. She knows that the campaign is a joke, but of course, it can pose no threat to Hillary Clinton and she just needs to build her résumé.
Flora meets two men on the campaign trail who are destined to impact her life. The first is a cynical middle-aged Democratic strategist who understands clearly the existential threat that the Republican candidate poses. The second is a young idealistic former Sanders supporter, now a staffer on the Clinton campaign.
I don't want to give away the entire plot here. Zink's novel is a very ambitious and wide-ranging delineation of the events of the 1980s up to the current day. And mostly, I think she delivers on her objectives. I found the first part of the novel dealing with Daniel and Pamela more compelling, but that may have been only because I found it easier to identify with them. The story lost some of its steam for me in its second half, but, on the whole, the author dealt with the madness of our political times with intelligence and humor and she has produced a very good and readable book.
Pamela grew up in an upper-middle-class white family in Washington, D.C. She had all the privilege that such an upbringing entails, but as she neared the end of her high school years, she rebelled against the plans her parents had for her. She did not want to go to any of the colleges they suggested; she had a different vision for her life. And so she packed a few things, took what money she could scrape together, and took off to New York to pursue her vision. She had no contact with her parents after that for many years.
Daniel came from a fundamentalist Christian family in the Midwest. He managed to complete college before he fled, but he, too, made his way to New York and the two young people met there through another friend that Pamela had made, Joe Harris, who was destined to become a rock star.
The three of them are devoted to music and they play together in small, anonymous bands before Joe becomes famous. Pamela and Daniel become lovers during this period and eventually, an accidental pregnancy changes their lives. They decide to marry and when their daughter, Flora, is born, the three of them together raise her during her early years with Joe providing babysitting when the parents are at work.
During this time Joe continues to pursue his musical career with Daniel as "manager" and finally he hits the big time and starts raking in the big bucks. Then comes 9/11 and everything changes.
Pamela and Daniel are concerned for their young daughter living in the toxic air that has enveloped New York in the wake of the attacks. Pamela contacts her parents and asks to come for a visit. They take Flora there and they are all joyfully welcomed. After some time Pamela and Daniel return to New York, but they leave Flora with the grandparents and there she stays for the rest of her upbringing, occasionally making visits to New York to stay with her parents. (Why the parents so easily agreed to this is one of the mysteries unsolved by the narrative.) The remainder of the story focuses on Flora.
She grows up with a fervor to save the planet. She attends George Washington University and pursues her interest in climate change and soil erosion. She becomes increasingly politicized and, when no other jobs present themselves, in 2016 she joins the Green Party candidate Jill Stein's campaign. She knows that the campaign is a joke, but of course, it can pose no threat to Hillary Clinton and she just needs to build her résumé.
Flora meets two men on the campaign trail who are destined to impact her life. The first is a cynical middle-aged Democratic strategist who understands clearly the existential threat that the Republican candidate poses. The second is a young idealistic former Sanders supporter, now a staffer on the Clinton campaign.
I don't want to give away the entire plot here. Zink's novel is a very ambitious and wide-ranging delineation of the events of the 1980s up to the current day. And mostly, I think she delivers on her objectives. I found the first part of the novel dealing with Daniel and Pamela more compelling, but that may have been only because I found it easier to identify with them. The story lost some of its steam for me in its second half, but, on the whole, the author dealt with the madness of our political times with intelligence and humor and she has produced a very good and readable book.
December 30, 2019
This was my first time reading Nell Zink and I see now why she has such a cult-following: her writing style is this wonderful mix of intellect, wit, and sharpness. Doxology’s voice tells, it doesn’t show. Often in literary fiction we prefer showing, not telling, but Zink’s reversal of this really worked here. Doxology is the story of a family of multiple generations and how history and politics (think: 9/11 and the Trump era) have marked their own personal histories.
It’s undeniable that Zink has her finger on the pulse of the political and cultural landscape of DC and New York. Whether or not you agree with her diagnosis’s or prescriptions is beside the point; you must have a base-line admiration for how intelligently she writes about our state of affairs both presently and from the 1990s and early aughts. Most writing about the Trump era in recent fiction is pretty milquetoast in my opinion and leaves us with conclusions that most of us already feel (trump=bad), so I enjoyed Zink delving into subjects beyond the surface level, like elitism, the idealism of millennials, the various ways privilege presents, etc. That being said, I still had an insipid taste left in my mouth with some of the conclusions Zink draws, but perhaps that is because I’m politically active and politically aware. I think any author in this era would have trouble truly shocking or presenting radical inferences among select populations of readers.
I also need to commend that I really never got bored reading, which can invariably happen with books over 400 pages; however, I never found myself speed reading to move it along. I think that says a lot about Zink’s singular writing. It sounds cliche saying her sentences are just so sharp, but they really are. I can see the writing coming across as too high-brow to some readers, but Zink had my prompt attention for the full course of the book. I’m looking forward to picking up her other novels. Doxology has a lot to unpack in terms of politics and culture and I think it would make a great book club read, even if it may not seem like an obvious pick on the surface. There are some really interesting discussions to be had on the differences between boomers, Gen X, millennials, and the way history has shaped these generations respectively. Many thanks to Ecco for sending me a copy!
It’s undeniable that Zink has her finger on the pulse of the political and cultural landscape of DC and New York. Whether or not you agree with her diagnosis’s or prescriptions is beside the point; you must have a base-line admiration for how intelligently she writes about our state of affairs both presently and from the 1990s and early aughts. Most writing about the Trump era in recent fiction is pretty milquetoast in my opinion and leaves us with conclusions that most of us already feel (trump=bad), so I enjoyed Zink delving into subjects beyond the surface level, like elitism, the idealism of millennials, the various ways privilege presents, etc. That being said, I still had an insipid taste left in my mouth with some of the conclusions Zink draws, but perhaps that is because I’m politically active and politically aware. I think any author in this era would have trouble truly shocking or presenting radical inferences among select populations of readers.
I also need to commend that I really never got bored reading, which can invariably happen with books over 400 pages; however, I never found myself speed reading to move it along. I think that says a lot about Zink’s singular writing. It sounds cliche saying her sentences are just so sharp, but they really are. I can see the writing coming across as too high-brow to some readers, but Zink had my prompt attention for the full course of the book. I’m looking forward to picking up her other novels. Doxology has a lot to unpack in terms of politics and culture and I think it would make a great book club read, even if it may not seem like an obvious pick on the surface. There are some really interesting discussions to be had on the differences between boomers, Gen X, millennials, and the way history has shaped these generations respectively. Many thanks to Ecco for sending me a copy!
March 15, 2020
While I was reading this, I kept having to tell myself it was entertaining, but is something entertaining if you have to convince yourself of it? I would generally be fine with Zink's style, which is not exactly realism, if it were more surreal, but trying all this stuff that isn't quite believable, like how every person sounds exactly the same, just needed a bit more umph to it. Plus there's this undercurrent of glib self satisfaction that really bugged me. I know you're smart, Ms. Zink, but maybe you don't need to include smart ass conversation that requires parentheticals explaining the allusions.
October 6, 2019
I read 100 pages and gave up onthis book, something I rarely do. The writing was choppy and the story so dull that I found the whole experience unpleasant. I should have stopped reading sooner.
August 11, 2019
I loved Mislaid and Nicotine by Zink, and even though I did like the first half of Doxology, in the second half it all got out of control. There were two different novels in one here really and I definitely preferred the first one (the story of Pam, Daniel and Joe and their music and friendship). The second part had way too many themes (Trump/politics, the environment/climate change, pregnancy/abortion/fatherhood/relationships, rich vs poor) and these were just ticked off (and on with the next...) and too superficially dealt with. I have to admit I was a bit disappointed with this Zink novel.
Thank you Harper Collins and Edelweiss for the ARC.
Thank you Harper Collins and Edelweiss for the ARC.
January 25, 2020
Zink writes with wit and style about a couple navigating the New York music and tech scene in the 1990s, culminating in the second half of the book with their daughter finding her way in the DC of 2016. The daughter’s privilege got annoying at times and the political parts felt heavy handed (not to mention sad!), but I enjoyed Zink’s writing and her observations about parents, class and generational differences. 3.5 stars rounding up.
October 12, 2019
This started off quite well and then went steadily downhill.
Read
November 27, 2019What?!?
January 1, 2020
So it’s 2020 and time to review a few books I read over the holiday. My New Year’s resolution in Goodreads is to write briefer reviews of the books I have read, and angle the review as memory aid to myself rather than a nifty bit of writing for others. Also, not much plot summary since many of the reviews cover this.
I liked this book. I liked it breadth of scope that covers a goodly span of time from about the 80’s until today. Yes indeed, by the time we reach the end of the book we have read about 9/11, the increasing awareness of the ecological planetary crisis we face, and, of course, The Donald gets a mention as well.
The writing is crisp, clear, but a bit too lean for my taste. The characters are a bit wooden, stilted, but fortunately never uninteresting, unbelievable or too stereotypical.
This is a book I would eagerly recommend to a friend with the caveat that they might find it a bit too cute and contrived. I didn’t but I know people who would.
I liked this book. I liked it breadth of scope that covers a goodly span of time from about the 80’s until today. Yes indeed, by the time we reach the end of the book we have read about 9/11, the increasing awareness of the ecological planetary crisis we face, and, of course, The Donald gets a mention as well.
The writing is crisp, clear, but a bit too lean for my taste. The characters are a bit wooden, stilted, but fortunately never uninteresting, unbelievable or too stereotypical.
This is a book I would eagerly recommend to a friend with the caveat that they might find it a bit too cute and contrived. I didn’t but I know people who would.
October 27, 2019
I was suckered in for the first third, but I think now that may have been nostalgia for the mid-80s to early 90s hardcore & indie punk scene. After we catch up with 9/11, the story settles into really predictable story beats & the characters just kind of show up when the plot demands to do (or not do) things. There’s no real engine after the 9/11 stuff. Everyone is rich, straight, white. No one works hard at anything. There are no consequences for any actions. Family is a seamless & friction-free. It’s....boring. Oh well.
December 15, 2019
I loved the first half of this book. The second half lost me completely. I've read several novels in the past couple of years that try to address the Trump era directly, and all have failed. Is it because they lack perspective? Or is it because the president is just such an implausible character that it is hard to introduce him into a work of realism? (I've been saying since 2016 that Dickens would have handled him masterfully, but Dickens specialized in grotesques.)
February 22, 2019
Totally loved this book!
I felt very connected to Pam, the main character, who is my age and with whom I share quite some (musical) interests, as well as to her daughter Flora.
I am strongly recommending this!
I felt very connected to Pam, the main character, who is my age and with whom I share quite some (musical) interests, as well as to her daughter Flora.
I am strongly recommending this!
October 20, 2019
2.5 stars really. Video review https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sX_nt...
December 14, 2019
I like the narrative voice, but there's no focus to the plot. Abandoned at 20% since this is not a galley and I owe no review.
June 1, 2020
Reading like a mix of Perfect Tunes and Ask Again, Yes, this book has enough themes to fill multiple volumes. While focusing on politics, music, and family, the pages span from the 1980s in the deteriorating Lower East Side is NYC to 2017 in DC in the recent aftermath of Trump’s election win. It follows Pam and Daniel, young lovers and accidental parents, as they take corporate jobs instead of focusing on their art and music in order to raise their daughter well. They enlist a friend and rock star on the rise, Joe who is technically managed by Daniel, to babysit young Flora until his complicated relationship with his girlfriend and his focus on songwriting takes a firm hold on his life. After a long estrangement Pam makes up with her square parents and offers a new relationship between them and her small family. After 9/11 the trio flee to Pam’s parents home in DC, and after some debate, all four adults agree it would be best if Flora stays with her grandparents longterm though Pam and Daniel aren’t ready to sever ties with their jobs or the music and culture of New York. The remaining chapters test the family as Flora ages and tries to make decisions based on the shifting political landscape and they all split time between the two metropolises. It really seems like the first and second halves are separate books as the former tells Pam & Daniel’s story and the latter, Flora’s, and though there isn’t really any conclusion or much growth on the part of anyone but Flora, it was a pleasant enough read, though a frustrating one if you’re not a fan of relatively plotless novels.
August 30, 2019
Nell Zink’s new novel is a multi-generational, time-expansive novel covering the last 40 years or so of American history, music and politics. The first ‘part’ covers the period up to the September 11th attacks, as three friends - Pam, Daniel and Joe - get involved in the music/punk scene in New York and Joe, a simple soul really, somehow contrives to become a music superstar. The second ‘part’ of the book – it’s not really divided as such, but the enormity of the 9/11 events makes it obvious there is a before and after feel to the outlook of the characters – concentrates on Flora, daughter of Pam and Daniel. We see her growing up, going to school and university, then finding her eco conscience and working in politics.
It’s almost impossible not to compare this to a writer such as Jonathan Franzen or others in the ‘state of the nation’ school of fiction that is so prevalent nowadays. Maybe it’s a cultural backlash to Trump, or the general crappiness of everything right now; anyway, whilst I thought the book was a reasonable story, it was just so theme-heavy – and not in a subtle way either – that it felt more like a diatribe at times, and less like a novel. There is no attempt to hide a political bias here (towards the end Trump’s presidency is described as ‘America’s inept new administration’), and as readers we are bombarded with concerns about the environment, the financial crisis, racial tensions, and pretty much everything bar the kitchen sink.
There are moments of humour, for sure, but the narrative style of the book stopped me from actually caring about the characters. They felt distanced, not entirely natural in the way they behave or talk, and that proved too much for me to actually fully engage with the book. Zink is clearly a good writer, but maybe I’ve just read too many books like this for it felt a little obvious, a little too tub-thumping. A decent read, but not one to blow me away, I’m afraid. 3 stars for the quality of the writing, and the occasional genuinely funny moments.
It’s almost impossible not to compare this to a writer such as Jonathan Franzen or others in the ‘state of the nation’ school of fiction that is so prevalent nowadays. Maybe it’s a cultural backlash to Trump, or the general crappiness of everything right now; anyway, whilst I thought the book was a reasonable story, it was just so theme-heavy – and not in a subtle way either – that it felt more like a diatribe at times, and less like a novel. There is no attempt to hide a political bias here (towards the end Trump’s presidency is described as ‘America’s inept new administration’), and as readers we are bombarded with concerns about the environment, the financial crisis, racial tensions, and pretty much everything bar the kitchen sink.
There are moments of humour, for sure, but the narrative style of the book stopped me from actually caring about the characters. They felt distanced, not entirely natural in the way they behave or talk, and that proved too much for me to actually fully engage with the book. Zink is clearly a good writer, but maybe I’ve just read too many books like this for it felt a little obvious, a little too tub-thumping. A decent read, but not one to blow me away, I’m afraid. 3 stars for the quality of the writing, and the occasional genuinely funny moments.
January 19, 2021
I love Nell Zink! No one writes like her. Except this novel, which reads like her writing like other people. Maybe Jonathan Lethem Franzen or something. Not a bad thing; just not as crazy wild and amazingly different as previous novels.
I'm glad someone -- and especially her -- wrote about 80s/90s indie-rock culture. She knows of what she speaks! Then, however, the book for me gets bogged down a bit in the middle, and finally comes on strong at the end. I liked these people; I cared about these people (or at least most of them). I didn't want to relive 2016 tho. Ugh. Can we just call a moratorium on Trump mentions in all novels for at least 5 years? Thanks.
I'm glad someone -- and especially her -- wrote about 80s/90s indie-rock culture. She knows of what she speaks! Then, however, the book for me gets bogged down a bit in the middle, and finally comes on strong at the end. I liked these people; I cared about these people (or at least most of them). I didn't want to relive 2016 tho. Ugh. Can we just call a moratorium on Trump mentions in all novels for at least 5 years? Thanks.
June 24, 2020
"It seemed to her an admission - an assertion even - that meaning arose in the spirit and grew in the mind."
"Flora saw that the planet would definitley not be saved by technical solutions intended to mitigate, and thus condone, carbon emissions. Nor would it be saved by fairer distribution of the power to consume and destroy. Her struggle must be a political struggle under the cover of beauty. Her mission: to end economic growth."
"Flora saw that the planet would definitley not be saved by technical solutions intended to mitigate, and thus condone, carbon emissions. Nor would it be saved by fairer distribution of the power to consume and destroy. Her struggle must be a political struggle under the cover of beauty. Her mission: to end economic growth."
September 17, 2019
Strange, in all the ways that I come to Nell Zink for, but less interesting to me than Mislaid. I wished the novel was exclusively about Flora, instead of the first half about her parents and Joe.
October 29, 2019
First appeared at https://www.thenewdorkreviewofbooks.c...
I've heard it said that Nell Zink is a bit of an acquired taste. Over the course of a late-blooming career spanning several novels, (she was "discovered" by The Franzen from a letter she wrote to him about birds) she has developed a rabid base of passionate fans. But there are also many detractors: She's been called too eccentric, too nontraditional, too weird.
To me, though, her books have always sounded fascinating, but I'd never read her until now. Her latest novel, Doxology is really strong, even if a bit different from your standard contemporary fiction fare, or even her own backlist. Ron Charles in the Washington Post wrote that Doxology felt like Zink trying "to behave at the dinner table." If this is Zink behaving, I definitely can't wait to find out what she's like when she's not!
She is, on a line-by-line dialogue basis, one of the funnier, more clever writers I've read in a long time. Her rapid-fire exchanges are Sorkin-esque, except if Sorkin had a demented, irreverent sense of humor. For example, early in the novel, Zink has two of her characters worrying about a possible pregnancy they may not be ready for. The woman concludes with "I should get a pregnancy test. Maybe it's just ovarian cancer." ... as if she's HOPING it's ovarian cancer instead of pregnancy. If you think that's funny, and I howled laughing when I read that, you'll probably love this book too. Every bit of dialogue is like this. You have to pay attention, or it'll zing right over your head.
Thematically, the novel is a really interesting look at art, music, politics, and the differences in how Gen X and Millennials seem to drift through and collide with the world. The first part is about Gen Xers Joe, Daniel, and Pam, who meet in the late 1980s in New York City because of a shared interest in music. They write 'zines, they play in bands, they meet up on Saturday nights to listen to records. It's not long before Daniel and Pam are dating (and Pam is pregnant). Joe — a prolific songwriter, but something of an odd fellow, who feels no shame, and doesn't seem to know when he annoys people — actually begins to garner some outside attention for his music. Daniel and Pam carefully manage Joe's careful ascension to fame, and helps him navigate the tricky music world.
Then, 9/11. And everything changes,. Not just because of the horrific terrorist attacks, but also because of a tragedy in the lives of this trio. From here, the novel shifts from a story about Joe, Pam, and Daniel to a story about Pam and Daniel's daughter, Flora, who is 9 years old at the time of the attacks. Growing up in the post-9/11 world, and shuttling between life in New York and her grandparents' in Washington, D.C., Flora develops an innate idealism and hopes to change the world. But as she makes her way, this idealism is constantly challenged by the amount of cynicism and corruption she seems to find.
Flora is 24 as the 2016 election rolls around, and she begins working for the Green Party, and campaigning for Jill Stein (this, after a brief, unsuccessful stint at Sierra Club, where she realized how little difference she was making). She dates a much-older Democratic consultant who warns everyone, to deaf ears, about the real danger of Donald Trump. But working for Jill Stein again makes her confront her idealism: She believes in the Green Party, but of course, it's a third-party with no real chance to win. And so, as she realizes she may be siphoning off Hillary votes, and handing the election to Trump, she has some tough choices to make. Add to that some personal relationshiop drama, and you have a Zink-ian character nearing the end of her rope.
As you might expect, nothing wraps up cleanly. But the journey through these 400 messy, meandering pages is a blast. I thoroughly enjoyed this because of Zink's wicked sense of humor and the fact that her narrative just seems to go where it will. I mean, the plot is linear time-wise, but you sort of get the sense that Zink sits down to write and lets the plot run its course. There's no outlining here. I'm really glad I finally dove in with Zink, and this is highly recommended if you're up for a modern novel that takes on a lot of our current issues in an amusingly profane way.
I've heard it said that Nell Zink is a bit of an acquired taste. Over the course of a late-blooming career spanning several novels, (she was "discovered" by The Franzen from a letter she wrote to him about birds) she has developed a rabid base of passionate fans. But there are also many detractors: She's been called too eccentric, too nontraditional, too weird.
To me, though, her books have always sounded fascinating, but I'd never read her until now. Her latest novel, Doxology is really strong, even if a bit different from your standard contemporary fiction fare, or even her own backlist. Ron Charles in the Washington Post wrote that Doxology felt like Zink trying "to behave at the dinner table." If this is Zink behaving, I definitely can't wait to find out what she's like when she's not!
She is, on a line-by-line dialogue basis, one of the funnier, more clever writers I've read in a long time. Her rapid-fire exchanges are Sorkin-esque, except if Sorkin had a demented, irreverent sense of humor. For example, early in the novel, Zink has two of her characters worrying about a possible pregnancy they may not be ready for. The woman concludes with "I should get a pregnancy test. Maybe it's just ovarian cancer." ... as if she's HOPING it's ovarian cancer instead of pregnancy. If you think that's funny, and I howled laughing when I read that, you'll probably love this book too. Every bit of dialogue is like this. You have to pay attention, or it'll zing right over your head.
Thematically, the novel is a really interesting look at art, music, politics, and the differences in how Gen X and Millennials seem to drift through and collide with the world. The first part is about Gen Xers Joe, Daniel, and Pam, who meet in the late 1980s in New York City because of a shared interest in music. They write 'zines, they play in bands, they meet up on Saturday nights to listen to records. It's not long before Daniel and Pam are dating (and Pam is pregnant). Joe — a prolific songwriter, but something of an odd fellow, who feels no shame, and doesn't seem to know when he annoys people — actually begins to garner some outside attention for his music. Daniel and Pam carefully manage Joe's careful ascension to fame, and helps him navigate the tricky music world.
Then, 9/11. And everything changes,. Not just because of the horrific terrorist attacks, but also because of a tragedy in the lives of this trio. From here, the novel shifts from a story about Joe, Pam, and Daniel to a story about Pam and Daniel's daughter, Flora, who is 9 years old at the time of the attacks. Growing up in the post-9/11 world, and shuttling between life in New York and her grandparents' in Washington, D.C., Flora develops an innate idealism and hopes to change the world. But as she makes her way, this idealism is constantly challenged by the amount of cynicism and corruption she seems to find.
Flora is 24 as the 2016 election rolls around, and she begins working for the Green Party, and campaigning for Jill Stein (this, after a brief, unsuccessful stint at Sierra Club, where she realized how little difference she was making). She dates a much-older Democratic consultant who warns everyone, to deaf ears, about the real danger of Donald Trump. But working for Jill Stein again makes her confront her idealism: She believes in the Green Party, but of course, it's a third-party with no real chance to win. And so, as she realizes she may be siphoning off Hillary votes, and handing the election to Trump, she has some tough choices to make. Add to that some personal relationshiop drama, and you have a Zink-ian character nearing the end of her rope.
As you might expect, nothing wraps up cleanly. But the journey through these 400 messy, meandering pages is a blast. I thoroughly enjoyed this because of Zink's wicked sense of humor and the fact that her narrative just seems to go where it will. I mean, the plot is linear time-wise, but you sort of get the sense that Zink sits down to write and lets the plot run its course. There's no outlining here. I'm really glad I finally dove in with Zink, and this is highly recommended if you're up for a modern novel that takes on a lot of our current issues in an amusingly profane way.
December 29, 2019
The Phenomena of Now
The author’s poise & wit run through NYC art-rock in the 80-90s & land at the start of Trump’s reign. It includes traditional family connections & self-made families bound by affection, perspective, & loyalties. Very realistic, socially/politically aware & wryly relatable. Nell Zink presents smart, believable characters in the third person, allowing the reader to get inside minor characters as well as main characters. I admired the subtle developments of one generation growing older without losing their individuality. Their core idealism becomes more flexible but does not retreat or succumb. The daughter benefits from a common but rarely presented upbringing! Her grandparents get it right this time & allow their daughter & her husband to be themselves—busy & ardent with limited but still significant personalities for nurturing a child, teenager, young woman.
The author’s poise & wit run through NYC art-rock in the 80-90s & land at the start of Trump’s reign. It includes traditional family connections & self-made families bound by affection, perspective, & loyalties. Very realistic, socially/politically aware & wryly relatable. Nell Zink presents smart, believable characters in the third person, allowing the reader to get inside minor characters as well as main characters. I admired the subtle developments of one generation growing older without losing their individuality. Their core idealism becomes more flexible but does not retreat or succumb. The daughter benefits from a common but rarely presented upbringing! Her grandparents get it right this time & allow their daughter & her husband to be themselves—busy & ardent with limited but still significant personalities for nurturing a child, teenager, young woman.
November 21, 2019
I like the back of the book plot. A lot. The message seemed like it was perfect for the time.
But I couldn't care about the characters at all. Most of the characters come into the book with a write up that explained who they were, instead of introducing them through the narrative. It was like they were drawn up in a DnD game with a 2 paragraph backstory and then dropped into the plot based on the index card that had their backstory on it. It was jarring and left them flat and unlikeable throughout the book, which in fairness I deserted at about 50%.
(Edit: I see a lot of reviewers actually like that Zell "tells" who her characters are instead of "showing" who they are. So different strokes for different folks on that point.)
But I couldn't care about the characters at all. Most of the characters come into the book with a write up that explained who they were, instead of introducing them through the narrative. It was like they were drawn up in a DnD game with a 2 paragraph backstory and then dropped into the plot based on the index card that had their backstory on it. It was jarring and left them flat and unlikeable throughout the book, which in fairness I deserted at about 50%.
(Edit: I see a lot of reviewers actually like that Zell "tells" who her characters are instead of "showing" who they are. So different strokes for different folks on that point.)
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