Bullet Park

It was a book that vividly described the emptiness of American suburban life and the sick people. I will also take a look at the author's other books.

The description in this book provides a deep insight into the often overlooked aspects of suburban existence. The portrayal of the sick individuals adds another layer of complexity to the narrative, highlighting the hidden struggles and challenges that people face.

By exploring the author's other works, I hope to gain a more comprehensive understanding of their perspective and writing style. Each book may offer unique perspectives and stories that further enrich our understanding of different aspects of life.

Overall, this book has piqued my interest and I look forward to delving deeper into the author's body of work.

Cheever is the first work that I have read. It is a criticism of the "American Dream" wrapped in black humor. It is impossible for those who follow to not think of Mad Men when reading this book. In fact, after reading the book, I learned that the address of the Drapers in the series is also Bullet Park, which is an allusion to this book.

Cheever's works often explore the complex and often troubled lives of middle-class Americans. In this particular work, the use of black humor adds a unique and often satirical perspective to the examination of the American Dream. The comparison to Mad Men further emphasizes the themes and ideas present in the book, as both deal with similar aspects of American society and the pursuit of success and happiness.

Overall, reading Cheever has been an interesting and thought-provoking experience, and it has made me look at the American Dream and the lives of those who strive for it in a new light.

Here is the rewritten and expanded article:

5 books are essential for the course of North American literature of the NoLlegiu. These books offer a comprehensive and in-depth exploration of the rich and diverse literary traditions of North America. Each book provides unique insights into different aspects of the region's history, culture, and society. From classic works that have stood the test of time to contemporary masterpieces that push the boundaries of literary innovation, these 5 books are a must-read for any student or enthusiast of North American literature.

They cover a wide range of genres, including fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and drama. Some of the books delve into the lives and experiences of ordinary people, while others explore larger themes such as identity, race, gender, and class. By reading these books, students can gain a better understanding of the complex and multifaceted nature of North American literature and its significance in the global literary landscape.

Whether you are looking to expand your knowledge of North American literature or simply want to enjoy some great reads, these 5 books are sure to satisfy. So, pick up a copy today and embark on a journey through the fascinating world of North American literature!

Extraordinarily Bizarre Novel with Gorgeous Writing

This is an extraordinarily bizarre novel that contains some truly gorgeous and hilarious sections of writing. I have a preference for THE WAPSHOT CHRONICLE as it has all the weirdness of this book along with more interesting characters. It's important to try and avoid the back jacket copy or any summary because the key here lies in the (insane) delay of the plot. It's a 220-page preamble followed by just 20 brief pages of action. If you know what's coming, it will subtract most of the fun. The first half of the preamble belongs to Nailes and is told in a roving 3rd person, detailing the happenings in Bullet Park and the corresponding dissolution of the protagonist's psyche. I read it as a Richard Ford pastiche, which was often great:

"Vital statistics? They were of no importance. The divorce rate was way down, the suicide rate was a secret; traffic casualties averaged twenty-two a year because of a winding highway that seemed to have been drawn on the map by a child with a grease pencil. The winters were too inclement for citrus fruit but much too clement for the native white birch."

The second half belongs to Hammer (yes, Hammer and Nailes) and is told in an odd, tight stream-of-consciousness first person that has a good deal of surreality, sometimes to its detriment. This section is faster, more character-driven, and less good as the voice loses Cheever's lyricism. The narrative hook comes very close to the end of this section and is quickly resolved in a climax that seems way too easy.

I think this is on purpose. One gets the feeling (as with the Wapshots, to a lesser extent) that Cheever is mocking the expectations we have for novels while at the same time reveling in them. Think of this more as a loose series of vignettes accompanied by a narrative scaffolding that Cheever doesn't really care about. It's also worth mentioning that this book is tremendously preoccupied with homosexuality. Nearly every character (five different characters!) has a gay panic moment or three, and the male body is fetishized throughout. There is also a commensurate amount of character-driven homophobia, and this feels like that rare case where knowing about the author's personal life - Cheever's famous bisexuality - helps explain something that would otherwise be a flaw.

Mainly, as always with Cheever, it's all about the writing, the writing:

"There seemed to be some metric regulation to the pace of the talk. it was emotional, intimate, evocative and as random as poetry. They had come from other places and would go to other places but sitting against the light at four in the afternoon they seemed as permanent as the beer pulls."

It's not often that I accept reading recommendations from psychiatrists, but this was an exception.

The story of the upper-middle-class Nailles, who manages to survive what initially appears to be a "neighborly" encounter with Mr. Hammer, is captivating even if you're not upper-middle-class, a drug addict, a father, or, for that matter, male.

Despite what my psychiatrist said at the time, I didn't find much to identify with in this book (except for Nailles' diminishing self-control), but it shows Cheever's understanding of the universality of human nature, and I still felt Nailles' pain.

I've reread this since then - now that I'm fully able to cope with society - and still have the same love for the characters.

Perhaps the secret is that Cheever himself had a love for the characters - even the "villain" is understandable within his own mind.

I don't know if this book helped bring me back to sanity, but it did start my appreciation for modern literature, and for that, Dr. Foster, I am forever grateful.

Cheever crafts a tale of ordinary individuals enacting a somewhat comical narrative. A teenage boy remains in bed for weeks (not necessarily due to illness) until a "holy man" arrives at the house and inexplicably "cures" him. A man becomes fixated on a room in a stranger's house, falling in love with it and regarding it as his sole haven of tranquility and joy - only to then move to the suburbs with the intention of murdering the boy. This story is not remotely about murder.

His characters inhabit the familiar "not all is well in the suburbs" milieu, which is characteristic of Cheever. Avoiding taking itself too seriously, the story revolves around Eliot Nailles and Paul Hammer. The narrative is divided into three parts. Two parts are devoted to each character's relationship with, or contrast to, suburban life, and reaches a climax where the tension of their two worlds converges.

It left me with numerous questions regarding Paul Hammer's motives. Cheever doesn't precisely explain why his aimless middle-aged antagonist谋划 to kill Nailles' son. We only know that the "American Dream" often fails, but Cheever reminds us why we are okay with that.

One example of his remarkable prose: "My fault was that I had thought of love as a heady distillate of nostalgia - a force of memory that had resisted analysis by cybernetics. We do not fall in love - I thought - we re-enter love, and I had fallen in love with a memory - a piece of white thread and a thunderstorm. My own true love was a piece of white thread and that was so."

In a way, I'm hesitant to assign this novel a mere 4. I suspect that when Cheever first penned it in 1967, it was far more astonishing. Bullet Park is set in a suburb of NYC, where there's a thin façade suggesting all is well. The locals are a motley crew - suicidal, homicidal, adulterous, racist, impossibly sad, addicted to illegal meds, TV, cigarettes, and alcohol. And yet, at the end of the week, they flock to Christ's Church like good little Christians.

You can't help but feel sorry for some of them, despite their unlikable entitlement. I believe Cheever's point is that we need to look deeper at people; they're not as simple as they seem. Fortunately, even though this idea has been repeated countless times since humans could write, he presents it in a twisted and engaging way, with a masterful command of language that helps you identify with the tortured moments.

For some, this is just how life is. There's no other option, and there's not much hope in the novel. Bullet Park will always exist, as will NYC. Homicidal maniacs who charm at cocktail parties will always be around. And really, what else is there to fill the history books of America?

There's a profound sadness here, a thick and ripe torment that you can sense and feel with every cell of your body.

Also, I really liked the bit about the cat.

Memorable quotes abound. On page 10, we read, "Vital statistics? There were of no importance. The divorce rate was way down, the suicide rate was a secret; traffic casualties averaged twenty-two a year because of a winding highway that seemed to have been drawn on the map by a child with a grease pencil..."

On page 25, "Sitting at their breakfast table Nailles and Nellie seemed to have less dimension than a comic strip, but why was this? They had erotic depths, origins, memories, dreams and seizures of melancholy and enthusiasm."

These quotes, among others, add depth and nuance to the story, making it a truly memorable read.

The structure of this book bore a resemblance to that of Franny & Zooey by Salinger. It consisted of sections presented in diverse styles and from various perspectives. However, I couldn't help but wonder if the author had meticulously planned out the entire book prior to commencing the writing process. This was because the last 100 pages seemed to have only a tenuous connection to the first 100.

The writing style was more contemporary than I had anticipated, considering I had never read any of Cheever's works before. I found myself longing for the author to have dedicated more time to the actual story rather than devoting a significant 85% of the text to character background and development. Nevertheless, it should be noted that the book wasn't overly long. Moreover, the high quality of the writing, and the impact I can envision it had upon its initial publication, managed to compensate for the persistent thought that kept crossing my mind: "So, when is there going to be something that actually happens?"

Overall, despite its flaws, the book still held a certain allure and managed to engage my interest to a considerable extent.