But I think I just like the telegrammatic nature of the messages from beyond. All caps, sans punctuation, they remind me of the archy and mehitabel poems (one of my earliest and most enduring bits of literature) wherein archy speaks with a ghost named clarence who complains that some medium has got his number, and keeps yanking him back from the beyond to deliver messages to old ladies. There's something weirdly live about writing that forces you to fill in the punctuation -- at least it demands a modicum of engagement on your part. The language is lively anyway; Merrill manages a range of tones and voices, and succeeds in telling a story in a not particularly overt fashion.
Plus, it's certainly keeping me entertained longer than that dang Harry Potter book, which I finished in a grueling, seven-hour, "just the plot, ma'am" session.
posted by Reen |link| 0 comments
