Doggy Bag (Black Ice Books)

This is a fun book, and interesting in a literary sort of way. I thought the writer was new and young but I just found out he's been around forever is like 75 and is an "old master" of the form.

Sukenick realizes that our neural pathways are being seriously altered by the new technologies (internet, instant communication, information overload, domination of mass media) that we deal with on a daily basis. Especially interesting is Sukenick's appropriation of the B-movie monsters in order to explore the proliferation of conspiracy fears and the way that the powerful can manipulate events. Near the end of the book there is a brilliant section that details a couple's growing fascination with alternative sexual practices. What is so fascinating about Sukenick's writing in these passages is that he leaves small gaps in the narrative that essentially leave out the explicit sexual descriptions. I gave this section to friends of mine and two of them thought it was amazing, one couldn't understand it, and one girl slapped my face saying that it was disgusting. The power of this technique is that our minds fill in the missing parts---essentially creating a truly *interactive* fiction in book form. I also used this section in a mass media class to point out how what we are presented through mass mediums can leave out important sections and that the makers can rely on us to fill the gaps in.I definitely believe that this is an important and vital book--as is most of Sukenick's fiction. A great example of avant-pop technique.Perhaps the Kirkus reviewer was looking for some old-style realism (i.e. now-fantasy). END