Status Update

Allison Hammond is on page 288 of 336

I’ve focused my second reading of this book on structure. Here, in the lead-up to the climax, Gaiman is doing a couple interesting things. First, he’s turned an early antagonist into another protagonist. Second, he’s quickening the transitions between the split storylines to draw out the tension in both and to quicken the pace of the narrative. Super clever tricks.

— Sep 05, 2023 08:15AM

2 likes · Like flag

Allison’s Previous Updates

Allison Hammond is on page 75 of 336

The depiction of Fat Charlie’s hangover here rivals, in truth and skill of deployment, Tom Wolfe’s version from Bonfire of the Vanities. Both are flawless. This one, Gaiman’s, is also funny.

— Aug 25, 2023 07:12AM

Allison Hammond is starting

I get a little jolt of panic whenever I realize that I did something or read something first during the pandemic. First reading of this book began April 2021, and that Allison was so stressed and exhausted.

— Aug 25, 2023 07:07AM

Allison Hammond is on page 117 of 336

I’m just so delighted by the way Spider breaks Fat Charlie out of jail, advances the plot, and then returns him to jail. It’s such a tidy little trick of storytelling because then their separate storylines can move forward independently. Gaiman’s just very good.

— Apr 12, 2021 01:23PM