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Dec. 7, 2005 Check out the book rack in a supermarket or even the complete stock of a Waldens book store, and I challenge you to find a book written by an author you have never heard of. The books on display are all written by good but famous writers and nicely edited as well. Whether you enjoy them depends upon your tastes. Like horror? There's usually multiple offerings from Dean Koontz and Stephen King. (I'm looking forward to Mr. King's new crime novel--The Colorado Kid.) Legal thrillers? There's John Grisham. (My wife likes him. I read the inside cover, discern the plot, and feel no need to read the book because I know what's going to happen.) Want romance? There's Nora Roberts and Nicholas Sparks. (Not my cup of tea, but I did enjoy Midnight Bayou. I struggle writing romance into my novels so I studied her work to see how she does it.) Fan of military adventures? Tom Clancy's books are sitting there ready to excite readers and annoy authorities who are disturbed by the uncanny accuracy of his technical detail. But what about writers who create literary work that is worthwhile, yet not mass marketed? If they aren't on the shelves, great books written by unknown writers go unread--an unfortunate reality of profit hungry book publishing. I'm going to do my part and bring attention to two excellent books recently published by two unheard of writers: Cold Skin by Albert Pinol and Pigtopia by Kitty Fitzgerald. This is what Cold Skin is about: Two men (a weather observer and a lighthouse keeper) on an isolated island near the Antarctic battle swarms of humanoid sea monsters every night. Though it might not appeal to all, that premise alone was enough to put my rear in a chair with the book in my hand. The book has a much deeper theme, however, than you might expect. The narrator never knows why the sea monsters attack them every night. His ally, an anti-social German named Gruner, seems to relish the death they dish out every night from inside the fortified lighthouse. In a fascinating twist Gruner keeps one of the female monsters as a kind of sexual pet. The narrator eventually falls for her, and he gradually discovers in his love a desire to make a peaceful truce with the monsters but is opposed by the war-like Gruner. Love for creatures and people different from us is also one of the themes of Pigtopia. A young teenage girl, Holly, secretly befriends a freak who lives next door. By accident of birth the man's head resembles that of a pig's and as a solace from his cruel, crippled, alcoholic mother and ostracism from the rest of society, he raises pigs in his basement but not for food. They are exalted and precious pets. Holly comes of age in this story as she deals with her divorced mother's new love life, meddling peers, and the resulting tragedy. Both these books have something else in common: The endings were so highly symbolic that I'm not sure I got "it." Therefore, I hope there are readers out there who give these young writers a chance. Email me and we can discuss the endings to these stories. Or maybe you can just explain them to me. ------------ About the author Mark Gelbart: My book, Talk Radio, is a black comedy about a radio talk show host who gets kidnapped and psychologically tortured by a loser. www.mark-gelbart.com Email: agelbart@aol.com Tell a friend about this site! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com and are not allowed to be posted on other websites. ARTICLE THIEVES WILL BE PROSECUTED! |
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