Movies Pa

This was the first of Dixon's books I picked up (quite by chance) about six years ago, and it's what initially got me hooked on this idiosyncratic, one of a kind writer. I recently reread some of the stories, and enjoyed them just as much the second time. The stories here predate Dixon's foray into the obsessive, long paragraphs that would distinguish his trademark style in novels such as "Frog", "Interstate" and "Gould". The pieces in "Movies" deal with isolation, paranoia and absurdity in a bleak, nameless urban landscape that could be the New York City of a parallel universe, or perhaps one of Beckett's nether regions. The characters face their respective situations with such neurosis that it is at times unbearable. There's always a kind of gallows humor on hand, and Dixon manages to make us laugh at the same time that he forces us to cringe. The title story, in particular, is darkly hilarious. Highly recommended for fans and students of Kafka, Beckett or even Woody Allen and Bergman. Great stuff.