Bang Bang

Philadelphia-based food writer Lynn Hoffman is one of our unsung literary treasures. He's an expert at writing clear, concise, snappy prose which will linger in your memory like some excellent sauvignon blanc wine you had at dinner. He's such an expert that I am surprised that he's had to rely upon a small independent press to have his latest novel, "bang Bang" published. It is unquestionably one of the most intriguing works of fiction published this year that I've stumbled upon; a work written by someone who should be regarded as among our finest American writers working now in any genre, period. It is also quite hilarious, a surefooted comic satire aimed right at the heart of NRA and its legion of diehard supporters intent on keeping our country awash in firearms. "bang Bang" offers a vivid literary portrait of modern Philadelphia that could have been written by the likes of Raymond Chandler or Elmore Leonard. Hoffman is a keen observer of human nature, using his prose as much as a film cameraman or photographer might use a camera and lens, carefully recording every important detail in a given scene. He also offers in Paula Sherman, a bright, tenacious heroine for whom the reader will be rooting for as she embarks upon her campaign to bring some sanity to the NRA and its leadership (I will be rooting for Hoffman too once this fine little gem of a novel captures the attention of the major New York City-based publishers; his future books deserve their serious consideration for publication.).

Lynn Hoffman, a highly regarded food and drink writer from Philadelphia, tops his 1997 fiction debut of 'The Bachelor's Cat' with a fully mature novel 'bang BANG', a book so well conceived and stylishly written that it places Hoffman in the realm of top American writers. And while many readers may know him form his books on food, beer, and wine (terrific tomes of culinary skill admixed with humor and wit), few will be prepared for the impact of this superb new work. Paula Sherman is a waitperson in a stylish restaurant Odetta, a wannabe singer simple girl whose best friend Tom is killed as she watches by a foolish gunman with little apparent reason for the deed. On the scene a reporter quotes the distraught Paula's comment 'It wasn't the gun, it's that man', a slogan picked up quickly and twisted by a senator who is backed by the UGA (United Gun Association) to campaign against gun control. Paula's life changes abruptly as she emerges into a woman with a mission: she manages to surface from an ordinary life as a vigilante who targets the cars bearing UGA decals, shattering windshields as her gesture against the wasted death of her friend Tom. In time Paula meets Daniel, a man she can actually love, and with his support she gains courage an influence that rapidly spreads across the country in an anti-gun movement. One character who adds immensely to the story is constant Odetta gourmet diner Emanuel Cardoso (and his frequent dinner companion, the short of stature Lichtmann), who witnesses Paula's nighttime derring-dos and who eventually is Paula's elected source for political payoff. By introducing Cardoso, Huffman allows space for some wonderful writing about food and the culinary arts as well as some light comedy and compassion: pages from the observing Cardoso's diary are sprinkled through the pages of the novel: they are a pleasure all to themselves! The story is a very powerful anti-gun statement, but fine as that theme may be it has rarely been accompanied by the extraordinary skill of a writer as creative and gifted as Lynn Hoffman. Hoffman has a way with words that makes the reader pause in this propulsive narrative to simply bask in the pleasure of well-crafted phrases. "Our park bench lets us see past Rodin's fame-slain Thinker, sucking his knuckles at the entrance to the Rodin Museum. In the distance, in the thin, late winter sunshine, we observe a swaying dark blob that widens and narrows without changing height. The blob becomes a group of six skaters, telephotically compressed. The widening is the centrifugal swaying as the saw their way up the street....". Such is only a brief example of how Hoffman paints his scenery for the story that is so keenly and succinctly addressed. 'bang BANG' is one of those little treasures of a book that rewards on every level and it most assuredly confirms the stature of an important American writer. Highly recommended for a very wide reading audience. Grady Harp, September 07

This is a novel that may have once been a screenplay. Or it was begun as a screenplay and then finished as a novel. Or perhaps it is a novel that will someday become a screenplay. The film critic Pauline Kael entitled one of her collections, "Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang"; and I am told that in Japan "Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang" or simply "kkbb" refers to an American action film. In fact, Lynn Hoffman told me this. Hoffman does not narrate so much as report as from a seeing eye. "I Am a Camera" by John Van Druten (by way of Christopher Isherwood's "Goodbye to Berlin") comes to mind. Hoffman actually uses the words "fade to black" or something similar to end some of the scenes. He guides the reader's eyes as a camera would. The scenes are intensely seen, the author describing minute details such as thin french fries shaped into a bird's nest on a diner's plate. In "Mummerland, an Urban Village Theme Park," a dancing woman has "a row of studs implanted above each eyebrow. The studs have little diamonds backed with light emitting diodes and the refractions of their light seem to blink like a pair of eyes as she pauses, swings, pauses." The scenes are often more atmospheric than plot-related. The scene in which Paula is masturbating could have been left out or included as a director might see fit. The story would not be affected. This is a novel, written mostly in the present tense, crying out to be a film. Hoffman's style is thick with wordplay, so much so that it demands a lot on the part of the reader. At first I found it something close to annoying. I had to get up to speed, so to speak. Here are some examples: A 16-year-old got roughed up in a fight at a playground. A few minutes later he has a .22 caliber pistol. He demands that a friend drive him back to the playground. When the friend doesn't, he fires a shot, "originally intended for playground use," missing his friend but hitting a little girl in the side and killing her. The mourners are "blinded silent" by the tragedy. (pp. 93-94) And later a man chasing Paula is "blindsided" by her friend Daniel. (p. 101) Daniel is Paula's first "realreal lover." (p. 96) A van is "looking for a spot where the iron law of parking says that none can be." (p. 104) A fruit bowl shaped like an airplane is "a fruited plane." (p. 131) Dr. Judith Sills has a voice that is "liquid velvet decorated with bugle beads." She has "she-class" and "sounds like sex in high places, like wisdom all dressed up for a party." (p. 157) Clearly there can be no question of the brilliance of Hoffman's prose. Every sentence is the result of deep consideration or clear inspiration. He makes the words dance as they caress our skin, invade our nostrils or perhaps offend or delight our eyes and ears. We can sense his desire to hook the reader up to a virtual reality machine so that our entire sensual experience can become as immediate as the computer screen in front of my eyes. And he is a sharp social critic, witn

I received my copy of bang Bang today and eargerly popped it open. The prologue blew me away. I wanted to scream "Where did this guy learn to write like that?" but can anyone learn that rhythm and poetry that makes truly good prose a treat to read? Couldn't wait to write this partial review just because the writing was so fine. Without a doubt the story conveyed by this fine writing is as good. Can't wait to dig into the book further. Raymond Chandler is going to have to wait. I'll finish bang Bang first.

I've often suspected that sexual inadequacy or frustration had something to do with all the shooting that we're seeing today. At last, along comes heroine Paula Sherman and author Lynn Hoffman to make the connection and tell us what to do about it. When Paula gets the women of America to swear off having sex with men who have guns, some serious value choices set in. As a doctor who's seen the cost of uncontrolled gun ownership in the hosptial where I work, I approached this novel with a certain grim intensity. I expected to find a justification for my anger at all the gun sellers and their pet politicians. Instead, what I found was a surprising, funny, outlandish novel with a little dash of sex and food thrown in. This is a book that I couldn't put down. There's a strong woman as the hero and some unforgettable characters. I could see the scenes as I read-altogether a great read that I'll be suggesting to my book club.