And the winner is ... upside down
The National Books Awards come out tomorrow night. To my mind, the most intriguing title among the five fiction nominees is "Only Revolutions" by Mark Z. Danielewski (Pantheon, 360 pp., $26). It's not that Danielewski's novel is favored to win, or even perhaps that it should, but that it could.
Danielewski is a 40-year-old experimental novelist, intent on stretching the form. His book is an unusual lovers' tale, spanning a century, that can be read from front to back or back to front. It tells the couple's story from their individual perspectives. Simply flip the book over and start reading when you'd like the alternate view. The novel, which is printed in half a dozen type fonts, has two sets of page numbers and comes with handy marking ribbons to track the dual narratives. It also comes with historical notes in the margins, furnished by Danielewski's avid fans (who resemble Thomas Pynchon's in their ardor) through his Web network.
In other words, this is an odd duck of a book. So, if it wins, the questions will arise: What is art exactly? What is a gimmick? Where do the two meet, if it all? Personally, I think Danielewski deserves credit for creativity and dedication. But can this book, which is heavy sledding stylistically, be the best of thousands of fiction titles this year? I doubt it, but check back in 36 hours and see if a publishing revolution is storming the parapets.
