The Art of the Final Sentence | The Millions
Unlike almost all other elements of fiction, the final lines do not participate in the project of keeping a reader reading. This may appear to grant a writer complete freedom, like the final two years of a two-term presidency — the absence of an impending re-election ostensibly allows for sweeping, public-opinion-be-damned initiatives. But in fact the last moments of a novel are its most delicate and important.
Month: February 2015
The Art of the Chapter | The Millions
You want to know how weird and deep my rabbit hole goes? I’ve developed what I’ll call an eccentricity about chapters. On Charles Baxter, Junot Diaz, J.R.R. Tolkien, Joe Meno, Eleanor Catton, Moliere, and more.
Crude Sketches Done in Quick Succession by Andrew Brininstool | Necessary Fiction
Sometimes Brininstool’s stories recall Tom Perrotta, the master of suburban ennui, while at other times there is the undeniable influence of George Saunders. You get the feeling of a novice (though very talented) writer finding his voice. The book works better in individual stories than it does as a whole. The two best pieces here are worth the cover price, and it seems no coincidence that they do not feature callow, equivocating men.
Jonathan Russell Clark 