Brett Alexander Savory (![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} jack_yoniga) wrote,@ 2007-11-30 11:18:00 |
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RM review of In and Down and No Further Messages
In and Down
Brett Alexander Savory
Brindle & Glass
No Further Messages
Brett Alexander Savory
Delirium Books
Reviewed in Rue Morgue (issue #74, December 2007)
The world of Brett Savory is a dark, grimy side of town populated by damaged psyches, introspective killers, ugly truths and frayed sanity. With his handsome word choice and ear for dialogue, he is a brilliant narrator—switching seamlessly between genders and ages to maximum effect—in both his short fiction (No Further Messages) and his shape-shifting second novel (In and Down).
The latter is the story of two young brothers living with their angry father and the whisperings of a mother who abandoned the family. Stephen seems like a bad seed who knows more than he lets on and Michael is missing something and suspects his father and brother may be plotting to kill him. Plagued by Naked Lunch-like dream states, Michael descends into a Lynchian mindfuck where characters switch identities and a spiritual guide named Hob (think Cat in the Hat on acid) takes him on a headtrip through dimly lit metal sketches involving murderous clowns, pig balloons and a wooden doll named Marla, who might just hold the answers.
A Gothic fantasy with the same kind of murky, twisted whimsy as Pan’s Labyrinth, In and Down sucks you in like a shadowy film noir as Michael tries desperately to uncover the secrets behind his peculiar family.
Similarly, the 21 tales in No Further Messages mine the fragility of the human mind, with a cavalcade of marred miscreants so enthralling, you’ll be hesitant to put it down for fear of prolonging where Savory’s brain is headed next.
However, as imaginative and well written as Savory’s work is, there’s frustration in that, as a storyteller, he rarely offers any plot-related resolve, favouring mysterious ambiguity over a clever twist. While not everything needs to be spelled out, Savory might be holding his narrative cards a little too close to his chest, lessening the impact of intriguing stories that are immensely open to interpretation. Regardless, there’s absolutely no denying the talent and depth of the exquisitely crafted worlds he creates. Both books are the work of a gifted writer bound to be a leading voice in the darkness of the Canadian literary landscape.
Trevor Tuminski
© Rue Morgue Magazine 2007
In and Down
Brett Alexander Savory
Brindle & Glass
No Further Messages
Brett Alexander Savory
Delirium Books
Reviewed in Rue Morgue (issue #74, December 2007)
The world of Brett Savory is a dark, grimy side of town populated by damaged psyches, introspective killers, ugly truths and frayed sanity. With his handsome word choice and ear for dialogue, he is a brilliant narrator—switching seamlessly between genders and ages to maximum effect—in both his short fiction (No Further Messages) and his shape-shifting second novel (In and Down).
The latter is the story of two young brothers living with their angry father and the whisperings of a mother who abandoned the family. Stephen seems like a bad seed who knows more than he lets on and Michael is missing something and suspects his father and brother may be plotting to kill him. Plagued by Naked Lunch-like dream states, Michael descends into a Lynchian mindfuck where characters switch identities and a spiritual guide named Hob (think Cat in the Hat on acid) takes him on a headtrip through dimly lit metal sketches involving murderous clowns, pig balloons and a wooden doll named Marla, who might just hold the answers.
A Gothic fantasy with the same kind of murky, twisted whimsy as Pan’s Labyrinth, In and Down sucks you in like a shadowy film noir as Michael tries desperately to uncover the secrets behind his peculiar family.
Similarly, the 21 tales in No Further Messages mine the fragility of the human mind, with a cavalcade of marred miscreants so enthralling, you’ll be hesitant to put it down for fear of prolonging where Savory’s brain is headed next.
However, as imaginative and well written as Savory’s work is, there’s frustration in that, as a storyteller, he rarely offers any plot-related resolve, favouring mysterious ambiguity over a clever twist. While not everything needs to be spelled out, Savory might be holding his narrative cards a little too close to his chest, lessening the impact of intriguing stories that are immensely open to interpretation. Regardless, there’s absolutely no denying the talent and depth of the exquisitely crafted worlds he creates. Both books are the work of a gifted writer bound to be a leading voice in the darkness of the Canadian literary landscape.
Trevor Tuminski
© Rue Morgue Magazine 2007
