Liquidambar

by Chris Bell, Elisa Bowman

“ Liquidambar : It’s as if Philip Marlowe has stumbled down the Lost Highway into Gormenghast , hunting for The Girl With The Pearl Earring .” Jonas Wheeler, CitySidewalk Typo Blod, a reluctant investigator, is dragged into the world of Edward Hopper’s paintings where he’s compelled to solve the disappearance of beautiful Ellen Bogen. When journalist Typo Blod encounters a stranger on public transport, he becomes absorbed by Edward Hopper’s paintings like a fly in amber. Time halts at the instant depicted in Hopper’s most famous works and Blod’s world is thrown out of kilter. In a city tantalisingly part historical, part fantastical, Blod falls in love with Ellen Bogen, subject of Hopper’s Summertime . As Blod struggles to persuade a magazine editor to commission some articles from him, he encounters the homeless C.O. Jones begging on a commuter train. Jones claims to be trapped in a “vicious circle” and shows Blod a book that causes Blod to slip through a crack in reality and find himself driving along a road nothing to do with the city in which he lives. A gas station attendant fills his car’s tank with “liquid amber”, and directs him towards Fulcrum. Here, Jones re-appears to provoke Blod with questions about distant memories. Blod’s answers propel him along a bizarre storyline. By its culmination, Blod realises his experiences have taught him to better appreciate the “liquid amber” of the present moment. Liquidambar combines the atmosphere of Philip Marlowe’s adventures with Hopper’s characters and imagery in a surprisingly fresh detective mystery.

234 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 2004

About the author

Chris Bell

The author was born in Wales in 1960. In 1976 he was the youngest poet ever to be published in former Poetry Society chairman Norman Hidden’s magazine Workshop New Poetry (UK). In January 2006 his poem about the writer Richard Brautigan, ‘The Graves Have Turned to Powdered Wind’, won the Edit Red Writers Choice Award. His poetry has been published in Axiom (Wales); Scree (England); Sivullinen (Finland); foam:e and Snorkel (Australia).

His fiction has appeared in The Year’s Best Fantasy & Horror (Tenth Annual Edition) (US), in which his short story collection The Bumper Book of Lies received an honourable mention; The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror #21; and This Is The Summer of Love (New Writers Special) (UK); Not One of Us (US); Zygote and TransVersions (Canada); Zahir (US); The Third Alternative and Postscripts (UK); The Heidelberg Review (Germany) and Takahe (New Zealand). His first novel, Liquidambar, inspired by Edward Hopper’s paintings, won the UKA Press ‘Search For A Great Read’ competition.

Reviews

[Buff · Rating 3 out of 5]

Liquidambar

I read this book because I love mysteries and also appreciate Edward Hopper's work. That does not equate to understanding the novel, which is extremely quirky. The writing is very nice (a lipstick kiss to identify a piece of carbon paper), but the plot is peculiar, apparently involving the protaganist slipping into Hopper's painting "Gas" and then into others. This is not a book for the weak of heart, since there are upsetting, graphic scenes. I didn't expect them.

[KapitiKats · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Edward Hopper's art so when I saw this book by Chris Bell and read the description I had to read it. The scenes in Fulcrum were vividly written and being able to match scenes up with the Hopper paintings was great. The plot was well placed and the Surrealism not too off the wall. A good read with a nice drop of humour mixed in with classic gumshoe noir.