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A review by cody240fc
Big Bang by David Bowman
5.0
This one is a lot of fun. Bowman's 'Big Bang' covers the years 1950 all the way through the Kennedy assassination in 1963. A novel that fits the mold of non-fiction novelists such as Mailer, Delillo and Capote, 'Big Bang' incorporates the lives of dozens of celebrities, politicians, artists and businessmen. It is an impressively large narrative, but the real life celebrity of the characters makes it easy to follow.
The characters and events that take place in 'Big Bang' are so absurd that I constantly found myself pausing to fact check Bowman's story. It is shockingly accurate. Granted, this is a novel, so Bowman takes liberties with dialogue, but 'Big Bang' gives us a glimpse of life before the rise of social media and 24 hour newscasts; when the rich and famous could misbehave as they pleased and not worry about public scrutiny. Fair warning however: you might never want to read another sentence from Mailer or Burroughs after reading this.
The final chapters are dedicated to the coup of South Vietnam in 1961 and, of course, the Kennedy assassination in '63 (the ultimate 'big bang'). Again, the events covered here are historically accurate for the most part, and it makes for a harrowing read. The fact that 'Big Bang' honors historical accuracy makes it a heavier, and frankly, a better read than other novels such as Delillo's 'Libra' (which I am a huge fan of as well).
I am surprised by the muted response for this novel here on goodreads. If you are a fan of Delillo's work then you will love this one too. Well deserving of 5 stars.
The characters and events that take place in 'Big Bang' are so absurd that I constantly found myself pausing to fact check Bowman's story. It is shockingly accurate. Granted, this is a novel, so Bowman takes liberties with dialogue, but 'Big Bang' gives us a glimpse of life before the rise of social media and 24 hour newscasts; when the rich and famous could misbehave as they pleased and not worry about public scrutiny. Fair warning however: you might never want to read another sentence from Mailer or Burroughs after reading this.
The final chapters are dedicated to the coup of South Vietnam in 1961 and, of course, the Kennedy assassination in '63 (the ultimate 'big bang'). Again, the events covered here are historically accurate for the most part, and it makes for a harrowing read. The fact that 'Big Bang' honors historical accuracy makes it a heavier, and frankly, a better read than other novels such as Delillo's 'Libra' (which I am a huge fan of as well).
I am surprised by the muted response for this novel here on goodreads. If you are a fan of Delillo's work then you will love this one too. Well deserving of 5 stars.