SHOWBIZ SATIRE DAVID HUGGINS Me Me Me (Faber 9.10.99) 00
Ralph, ‘Iong "a". silent is the only non- actor in a Redgrave- style dynasty spanning three generations. Following the bankruptcy of his experimental theatre group. Direct Debit. he relocates to LA to ghostwrite his grandfather's memoirs. Uiistiri.)risingly. he finds himself in a phoney world where everyOne is an inSincere. back— slaii)ping. Lear-quoting egomaniac.
Huggins' first novel won the 1996 Bad Sex Award. This. his third. starts Out more promisineg as well done satire. only occaSionally falling flat. But it quickly loses direction. t0ying briefly With trashy detective fiction iWhen Grandpa disappears jLISl after his 76th birthday! Ralph Suspects his father?! Of iiturdering himflfl before teetering dangerously on the edge of superficial psyct’iobabble. Wllll Ralph ‘\.i~./rest!ing' once too often With ‘new and painful self-knowledge.
It appears to recover. but iust when your hopes are raised for wit Winning the day after all. it collapses irrevocably into schmaltzy sentimentality. Deeply (lIE3ZJ{)[)()IIIlII‘-g. But that's showbi/i iAnna Shipinani
IMMIGRANI DRAMA ETHAN CANIN Carry Me Across The Water Bloomsbury SthSUDi .0.
He may have lived in the US for nigh on 70 years. made a fortune from his I)i(3’.‘.’ll‘.t} industiy and fought for his countny. but August Kleininan. l‘(:.‘.’l‘/ retired and newly loan/ed. if; far from
settled. He no longer sees two of his children: the third resents his gruff confidence. And while the German Jew may have lived the American immigrants dream. he is haunted by his wife's memory and troubled by the sheets of Japanese script that lie unread in the back of a cupboard.
EN
Kleinman takes a part— time job in a deli and tries to treat his son's son better than he treated his own. But the crux of the novel is his return to Japan. to confront the widow of the man he killed at the tail end of World War II. Carry Me Across The Water is a thoughtful book. but at times it is a slow and forgettable one. (James Smarti
PHOIOGRAPHY GUY BOURDIN Exhibit A (Cape SSOI O...
With Madonna's recent seal of approval. the release of Guy Bourdin's work could not have happened at a more opportune time. Bourdin is renowned for his fashion photography from the SOs to the early 80s where he pushed the boundaries. incorporating surrealism and eroticism into his commissions. His work for Vogue and the shoemaker Charles Jourdan comprise the majority of the 100 photographs in this big bold book. The shoe photography is outstanding. beautifully shot and imaginatively conceived. It is enough
for any budding Imelda Marcos to get off on. The photographs with the huge yellow shoe or the woman reclining with a photograph of John Travolta between her feet are prime examples of Bourdin's technique. The shot of the model wearing Dior with facial flies as accessories highlights Bourdin's delight in the macabre. Baiirdin's work is humorous, silly. strange and erotic and this book is a fitting tribute to his innovative and influential talents. (Isabella Weir)
TRAVEL MEMOIR ADAM NICOLSON
Sea Room lHarperCoIlins £714.99) 0..
What did you get fer your 2 t birt'i'iday? A watch maybe. or if yOu were lucky. a iittle secoiid- hand car? Well Aoam Nicolson can trump that. because from his father he got handed the Shiants. a collection of three islands off the coast of LCWIS.
This often fascnating but occasionally repetitive book is essentially one big love letter from Nicolson to the Wild and remote Hebridean islands .n question. covering arcl'iaeology. geology. history. inemOir. travelogue. social anthropology. ornithology and a fair bit of ‘man against the elements' stuff thrown in for good measure.
There is initially a faint whiff about Sea Room of the plucky suburban Englishman battling against the \iinderness of a sort that will be familiar to ‘~/IO\.‘/(-}l'S of Castaway. But such i'eseniations are cast aside as you realise the devotion with which Nicolson z.1pproachr~>s his SLIDJOCl. making Sea Rea/ii an interesting. if sometimes slightly obscure. book. (Doug Johnstonel
Books
EVENTS AT BORDERS
MONDAY 12TH NOVEMBER 7PM
DAVID ROSS
A slideshow & discussion on his latest book about Richard Hillary who flew as a fighter pilot during W.W.l| with 603 (City of Edinburgh)
Squadron.
THURSDAY 15TH NOVEMBER 6.30PM
HUGH CORNWELL
Hugh Cornwell enjoyed thirteen years of global success with The Stranglers before leaving in I990 to pursue a successful solo career. Launching his new book The Stranglers Song by Song, Hugh plays an acoustic selection of his favourite tracks, explaining their development and background. He will also answer questions and sign copies of the book.
WEDNESDAY 21 ST NOVEMBER 4.30PM
TERRY PRATCHETI'
The incredibly successful Discworld series has launched a whole new universe of comedy, myth and legend. Terry Pratchett, Britain’s most successful and prolific fantasy author signs copies of his latest books The Last Hero and Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodent
Arrive early to avoid disappointment.
MONDAY 26TH NOVEMBER 7PM
THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS
They Might Be Giants have been a formidable force on the alternative music scene since releasing the hit single Birdhouse in Your Soul. Fresh from providing the soundtrack to hit sitcom Malcolm in the Middle, the band ioins us for an exclusive performance.
BORDERS”
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f If» Non .X‘C'i THE LIST 103