Renderings

by James Sallis

A man travels alone to an island. There he reflects on his life as an artist- a writer- and on the women he has loved. Soon the reader realizes that this man is on the edge of sanity, and his review of his life is his attempt to retain what he can of sanity and meaning. Renderings is a novel written so tightly that no air escapes and no impurity seeps in. Harlan Ellison says of the author: It is quite possible that speaking of Jim Sallis in the same tone as Poe and Dostoevski is not overblowing on my part. His early work indicates a mind and a talent of uncommon dimensions... He may well be one of the significant ones. New York Newsday: Sallis is a rare find...a fine prose stylist with an interest in moral struggle and a gift for the lacerating evocation of loss. Twentieth Century Fiction Writers: James Sallis's extraordinary fiction is distinguished by it honesty and meticulous artistry.

107 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1995

About the author

James Sallis (born 21 December 1944 in Helena, Arkansas) is an American crime writer, poet and musician, best known for his series of novels featuring the character Lew Griffin and set in New Orleans, and for his 2005 novel Drive, which was adapted into a 2011 film of the same name.

Reviews

[Charles · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't think James Sallis can write a bad book. His prose is luminous. Even though the story here was not as compelling to me as in some of his other work, his writing still kept me turning the pages, and savoring each one.