I finished reading Steve Martin's
I finished reading Steve Martin's
Shopgirl. Loved it. He really cut a graceful line there. He captured how lonely and pointless a lot of people can feel about their lives, especially when they are deeper inside the rat race, but how even these people that (in my opinion) are pretty far gone can struggle forward for more humanity and meaning. What I found pleasurable about it was how the disconnected-yet-vaguely-meaningful feel of the story and characters balanced with how the characters themselves felt disconnected-yet-vaguely-meaningful towards themselves. They were soft, punchdrunk, and yielding way too much, but all with a very small, almost silent, but insistent core inside that demanded to grow and exist just a little bit more. I respect that the work's voice is one that feels cynical and loving about society-in-general at the same time, it's a viewpoint that I can identify with.
Posted by Curt at October 25, 2002 02:59 AM