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Anderson
Anderson is a story about a man who is a computer help desk worker by day, and metaphysical detective by night. When he becomes aware of a girl who is haunted by an ominous spirit, Anderson tries to save her, but it's a little bit unclear whether she really wants his help, or if she and her strange friends are just using him, getting him involved in something more dangerous than he realizes. Of course, Anderson may actually be crazy, or the girl and her friends may be crazy, or just mean, but then again, the whole thing might be just as Anderson thinks it the work of The Strangeness.
228 pages, Paperback
First published October 9, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
May 4, 2011
(Reprinted from the Chicago Center for Literature and Photography [cclapcenter.com]. I am the original author of this essay, as well as the owner of CCLaP; it is not being reprinted illegally.)
This is the third book now that I've received from the wonderful Canadian small publisher Pedlar Press, where it's become clear that one-woman staff Beth Follett has quite the singular editorial vision when it comes to their titles; namely, all three books I've now looked at feature exquisitely written yet deeply strange narratives, tales that are surreal in nature yet with enough at stake for the characters to keep one's attention, my main complaint about most books that deliberately choose to lose the stream of reality (known among fans by the dual terms "gonzo" and "bizarro"). And indeed, this metaphysical noir is perhaps the most dreamlike of all the Pedlar titles I've now read, the story of a voluntary "psychic detective" who goes around solving the crimes of strangers by carefully picking up on the subconscious clues taking place around him at all times, but who may or may not actually be a psychotic stalker and full-time alcoholic who thinks he's Batman with ESP. As Anderson stumbles farther and farther down the rabbithole of a new "case," then, things just get stranger and stranger; but much like, say, Martha Baillie's The Incident Report (the last Pedlar title I read), Boyce keeps things just realistic enough to feel like they may actually be happening in the fictional world within this novel, the small yet crucial difference between this and most pieces of gonzo fiction, where things can often come off as a literary cartoon and thus make it difficult to get emotionally invested in the characters. Almost the definition of the nebulous term "New Weird," Anderson comes strongly recommended to those who are fans of the genre; although like with most titles of this sort, non-fans would be wise to stay away altogether.
Out of 10: 8.9, or 9.9 for bizarro fans
This is the third book now that I've received from the wonderful Canadian small publisher Pedlar Press, where it's become clear that one-woman staff Beth Follett has quite the singular editorial vision when it comes to their titles; namely, all three books I've now looked at feature exquisitely written yet deeply strange narratives, tales that are surreal in nature yet with enough at stake for the characters to keep one's attention, my main complaint about most books that deliberately choose to lose the stream of reality (known among fans by the dual terms "gonzo" and "bizarro"). And indeed, this metaphysical noir is perhaps the most dreamlike of all the Pedlar titles I've now read, the story of a voluntary "psychic detective" who goes around solving the crimes of strangers by carefully picking up on the subconscious clues taking place around him at all times, but who may or may not actually be a psychotic stalker and full-time alcoholic who thinks he's Batman with ESP. As Anderson stumbles farther and farther down the rabbithole of a new "case," then, things just get stranger and stranger; but much like, say, Martha Baillie's The Incident Report (the last Pedlar title I read), Boyce keeps things just realistic enough to feel like they may actually be happening in the fictional world within this novel, the small yet crucial difference between this and most pieces of gonzo fiction, where things can often come off as a literary cartoon and thus make it difficult to get emotionally invested in the characters. Almost the definition of the nebulous term "New Weird," Anderson comes strongly recommended to those who are fans of the genre; although like with most titles of this sort, non-fans would be wise to stay away altogether.
Out of 10: 8.9, or 9.9 for bizarro fans
June 3, 2011
i guess i'm not a new-weird fan, sigh. so much of the 1st 1/3 of this novel was in the subjunctive, and while i revere that tense it might could get on one's nerves after say, 70 pages or so. But then maybe some could get into the groove of it as it would give a very gothic feel, but then wouldn't that feeling be stronger if there were a more immediate atmosphere of dread, darkness, and menace? And also i was all set up for some noir too and that really didn't come through to me much either. But the action picks up some in the latter half, some voodoo happens, some possession of our pc help-desk hero, some excessive drinking, some lap dancing, some mystery. Weird mystery, but gothic nonetheless. Boyce lulls the reader by his inane inner conversations and detailed reportage of Anderson's habits/movements, but BAM, drops a good sentence in to keep the reader going. I would say get this book for it's Pedlar Press cred, maybe even allow yourself to get scared and shivery by the magic and weirdness, but if you have no inclination for either, read the "Incident Report" instead The Incident Report, or better yet, get yourself some real gothic noir with Georges Simenon The Widow or Jon Clinch Finn.
November 1, 2022
The titular character is a self-styled psychic detective, who helps people gratis on his free time outside of work. He is beguiled by a haunted young woman named Ella.
The first half of the book, with its Auster-esque vibes was more enjoyable for me than the second, with the climax being somewhat prosaic. Then again the author's first novel was more abstract and formalist (and had more to prove) so Boyce can't be blamed for situating this sophomore effort more firmly in established genre conventions. I'm especially disappointed that a secondary character who is a female bartender that is somewhat attracted to Anderson completely disappears from the narrative, but I feel that I'm nitpicking at this point.
The first half of the book, with its Auster-esque vibes was more enjoyable for me than the second, with the climax being somewhat prosaic. Then again the author's first novel was more abstract and formalist (and had more to prove) so Boyce can't be blamed for situating this sophomore effort more firmly in established genre conventions. I'm especially disappointed that a secondary character who is a female bartender that is somewhat attracted to Anderson completely disappears from the narrative, but I feel that I'm nitpicking at this point.
August 25, 2011
Michael Boyce’s Anderson is an original and haunting piece of writing, his second with Pedlar Press. His first novel, Monkey, was also rather original, and quite different from Anderson. Each of these novels is approached by the author as an artistic endeavour.
Anderson does some interesting things as writing. It is, of course, something of an homage to film noire classics, but it also is by comparison rather outside the conventions of the genre. It is in some respects like a highly circumspect David Lynch movie.
It is a more experimental type of writing—more literary, some might say, than most “mystery” novels are. It holds a tension between what is called by the industry ‘genre’ and ‘literary’ fiction. Of course these labels and definitions are the currency of the an industry that is changing, challenged by a culture that is naturally more fluid and contradictory in its definitions.
One of the things the writing does to the reader is implicate them into the thinking of the main character, Anderson. This is interesting given that the voice is 3rd person. It manages thus to create the intimacy of first person narrative while maintaining the remote feeling of 3rd person. This simultaneous remoteness and intimacy is consistent with “strange detective” Anderson’s relationship to the world, which is always possibly something other than it seems.
A consequence of this implicating quality is that readers speak of how the book lingers with them in unexpected ways. The book’s theme is in some respect about mystery itself, or “the strangeness” as Anderson would put it—treating it like it is itself an entity, a being capable of haunting you for good or ill, just as a ghost might.
Although this all sounds rather heady and weird, there are many bits of absurd humour in the book, and the general surreal atmosphere is as playful as it is sometimes terrifyingly bizarre. Plus, it turns out that the strange detective is something of a taoist, so all the time spent in the dark unknown is not without glimpses of a brilliant light.
The publisher and editor, Beth Follett, publishes only a handful of distinct books of poetry and fiction every year, with design work done by Zab Design. From the quality and originality of the writing to the physical look and feel of the book itself, including the image, font and paper stock - Pedlar has a careful relationship with its imprints. Great care is taken with these books and Anderson is no exception.
Anderson does some interesting things as writing. It is, of course, something of an homage to film noire classics, but it also is by comparison rather outside the conventions of the genre. It is in some respects like a highly circumspect David Lynch movie.
It is a more experimental type of writing—more literary, some might say, than most “mystery” novels are. It holds a tension between what is called by the industry ‘genre’ and ‘literary’ fiction. Of course these labels and definitions are the currency of the an industry that is changing, challenged by a culture that is naturally more fluid and contradictory in its definitions.
One of the things the writing does to the reader is implicate them into the thinking of the main character, Anderson. This is interesting given that the voice is 3rd person. It manages thus to create the intimacy of first person narrative while maintaining the remote feeling of 3rd person. This simultaneous remoteness and intimacy is consistent with “strange detective” Anderson’s relationship to the world, which is always possibly something other than it seems.
A consequence of this implicating quality is that readers speak of how the book lingers with them in unexpected ways. The book’s theme is in some respect about mystery itself, or “the strangeness” as Anderson would put it—treating it like it is itself an entity, a being capable of haunting you for good or ill, just as a ghost might.
Although this all sounds rather heady and weird, there are many bits of absurd humour in the book, and the general surreal atmosphere is as playful as it is sometimes terrifyingly bizarre. Plus, it turns out that the strange detective is something of a taoist, so all the time spent in the dark unknown is not without glimpses of a brilliant light.
The publisher and editor, Beth Follett, publishes only a handful of distinct books of poetry and fiction every year, with design work done by Zab Design. From the quality and originality of the writing to the physical look and feel of the book itself, including the image, font and paper stock - Pedlar has a careful relationship with its imprints. Great care is taken with these books and Anderson is no exception.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews