My plane read yesterday was courtesy of F.L. Right and our September GBC informal book swap/lend. I chose the book based on size and density (like a good engineer), and if you travel frequently, you know this is key for optimal mobility. One of the great things about being in either a book club or a circle of readers is that you will be exposed to books that you would otherwise miss.
I was not familiar with Christoper Rice but I picked up his A Density of Souls for my next travel read. The book was published in 2000 and follows the interactions of four friends as they begin that period of hardship and discovery that we call high school. (Though I haven't checked, I am certain this book made a challenged list somewhere.) The story is somber with a hint at mystery. Moreso, though, it reminded me of those interactions we have in the South where you know that something troubling has happened in a person's past, but you are not certain what that "something" is. Rice does not leave you wondering as you move through the book, and the revelations are generally quite painful. After completing it, I was left with the more general question of whether or not a novel set in New Orleans could ever be cheerful when copious amounts of alcohol and general geography tend to cast a dark shadow. (This link to a January Magazine interview with Rice is also worth a read as Mr. Buchsbaum poses an interesting question regarding Manning which was released around the same time.)
To continue our gray theme for today, I also wanted to share this link to an NPR interview by Terry Gross with Michael Greenberg author of Hurry Down Sunshine: A Father's Story of Love and Madness which was released in paperback last month. One of the quotes which struck me during the broadcast was his "I have diabetes. I have cancer, but I am schizophrenic" referring to identity and illness. I have added this book to my list.
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