The Third Eye

The "third eye" of the title refers to the red dot that a propective sub-letter wears between her eyebrows. Our slightly warped but endearing narrator Jefferson chooses "victims" to sublet his apartment so he can spy on them and use them as subjects for his reality based art. Although the story sounds twisted, Knowles is so terribly clever that he resists the tawdry. This is a tremendous novel -- Knowles gets almost everything right. First of all, the New York stuff is right on -- the eateries, the snobbery, the housing market, the 42nd street library, etc.... As a native New Yorker myself, I loved the New Yorkiness of this book right down to the narrator's odd food cravings and penchant for gourmet wine. I also loved the understated hyper education level of the narrator. The resulting dialogue is at times hilarious. Take for example this excerpt in which he is explaining to a prospective tenant about his background in classical music, "When I was a young boy, six or seven, I'd stand in front of the mirror holding a pair of chopticks like two conductor's batons. I'd wave the things around in the air listening to whole symphonies. I memorized Beethoven's Fifth from start to finish. Got pretty good at making up my own signals." With no comment at all, the girl replies, "When I was six I listened to ABBA and Air Supply." End of joke and dialogue continues. Knowles doesn't have to play extra hard for the laugh because he writes such good dialogue.At times you'll feel like you're in the mind of a serial killer, but actually the narrator is far more benign than that -- just a little voyeuristic in his search for art. Though evil lurks in the background, it never becomes ugly and the joke turns on our narrator.I loved this book and highly recommend it to anyone looking for a suspensful, New Yorky read.

David Knowles writes in a style that provokes the reader to stop and think. Sometimes his ideas are a little too psychedelic, expecially when he starts to ponder the bounderies of time and space. However, his insights on art appreciation are interesting. Not to mention that the tale he weaves is increadlibly absorbing. The plot is straightforward. A man sublets his apartment every summer to a beautiful girl and then he watches her and photographs her from accross the street. However, as "The Third Eye" unfolds, the reader is taken beyond the plot into the protagonist's mind in a most intriguing way. I couldn't put it down and I finished it in two sittings. If you're fond of metaphysical fiction this is a great read. If you enjoyed this I highly recommend Tim Krabbe's "The Vanishing", Douglas Cooper's "Amnesia", and Sylvia Browrigg's "The Metaphysical Touch".

It is very rare that a book REALLY makes me think the The Third Eye did. The main character, Henry, is clearly a voyer, but has somehow convinced himself that what he is doing is ok. At times, he almost convinced me! Knowles writing is so real that it was like he was getting inside my mind- just as he got inside the unknowing strangers lives. It is a short book and a fascinating one. I recommend it to anyone.

Beautifully-painted portrait of the hyperreality of New York art and existence. And a very thrilling story, too.

This is a wonderful book. I got it late Saturday afternoon, read about two thirds of it, reluctantly went to sleep, then quickly completed it on Sunday morning despite having my own writing to do. The Third Eye is a rarity, a truly metaphysical fiction. One thinks of Borges but Knowles is capable of a more prolonged narrative than Borges and lacks his nihilism. The Third Eye plays on the edge of the supernatural at times but always stays a realistic novel though provoking the reader to ponder the nature of reality and its representation in the mind and in art. If this sounds like dull post-modernism, it is not. The characters are human and we care about them. One of the subjects of the book is contemporary art, which by and large I detest, but Knowles makes it actually sound interesting. Hindu and Buddhist philosophy play a central role but are fully integrated into the story. Don't be put off by the novel's philosophical dimension; there are also good food and beautiful women. David Knowles is an exciting new talent - I eagerly anticipate his next book.