Take a photo of a barcode or cover
A review by nlfharrison
One Rainy Day in May by Mark Z. Danielewski
4.0
It really does feel like the first episode of a big TV drama. Multiple characters and storylines that all feel like they'll converge sooner or later. Definitely felt like an introduction (or episode one), but the last quarter pulled so many threads together with such a strong sense of foreboding that I'm really looking forward to more - again, not unlike the first episode of a television series.
The characters/stories all get their own font and Danielewski formatting tricks, but I was struck by how wonderfully realised they are in terms of character - from Jingling's translations to Anwar's programming being reflected in the multiple bracket syntax. Xanther's rain of questions is beatiful. Much stronger than in HoL, here I think the tricks strengthen character really well, as well as giving each story its own pace and aesthetic - again, thinking of it as the first episode of a television series unlocks so much of Danielewski's choices.
The characters are lovely too, with a nice mix of focus on what's happening now and finding out backstory in future 'episodes'. Xanther is instantly one of my favourite book characters. Roll on book 2!
The characters/stories all get their own font and Danielewski formatting tricks, but I was struck by how wonderfully realised they are in terms of character - from Jingling's translations to Anwar's programming being reflected in the multiple bracket syntax. Xanther's rain of questions is beatiful. Much stronger than in HoL, here I think the tricks strengthen character really well, as well as giving each story its own pace and aesthetic - again, thinking of it as the first episode of a television series unlocks so much of Danielewski's choices.
The characters are lovely too, with a nice mix of focus on what's happening now and finding out backstory in future 'episodes'. Xanther is instantly one of my favourite book characters. Roll on book 2!