Ring in a River

Here is a book that I wish could be mailed out to everybody who ever complained about the supposed coldness and formalism of "experimental fiction." Mr. Gerdes' novel reads like the wind--it is, after all, essentially a single, extended, dreamlike chase scene--and it does indeed have the New Fiction quality of a tremendous freedom in character (whereby any character can be whatever he at that moment seems to be to the perception of the narrator)--but it also has the soul to convey anguish. The narrator is trapped in a corner, emotionally, and even with all the exuberance of style and wing-ding plot, Gerdes never loses the purpose of his book, which is to take us into his main character's grief, and allow us to share it.

I read this after reading Projections and was surprised to find that this is really easy to read. The other one was really weird and very cool. This one is every bit as cool, but not nearly as weird. Makes me want to go visit Austin. A great story all around.