Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
In the 14th volume of Graywolf's The Art Of series, novelist Casey (The Man Who Walked Away) analyzes the inscrutable and enigmatic elements in the work of James Baldwin, Shirley Jackson, Henry James, and others. Casey applies the term "mystery" broadly (and astutely), describing it as "a whispered invitation, a siren song, a flickering light in the distance." One would not ordinarily think of Baldwin, for example, as a writer of the mysterious, but Casey's exploration of his use of windows in "Sonny's Blues" shows the story to be about the "deep-space mystery of interiority"-the near impossibility of truly knowing another person. Casey demonstrates the potential for a single object to be imbued with dynamic mystery through Flannery O'Connor's story "Good Country People" and its main character's wooden leg. Casey also delves into 19th-century Spiritualism, the use of the subliminal in photographic art, and the paintings of Andrew Wyeth. Her analysis illuminates the behind-the-scenes work authors do to cultivate a seemingly effortless air of mystery, such as O'Connor's "training the reader's gaze" on that leg, or Baldwin's impressionistic descriptions. Those seeking to understand how to bring the ineffable into their own writing would do well to start here. Agent: Alice Tasman, Jean V. Naggar Literary Agency. (Jan. 2018) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Library Journal Review
Author Casey's (The Man Who Walked Away) contribution to the "Art of" series explores the idea of mystery in fiction, its long-standing bond with Sigmund Freud's notion of the uncanny, and endurance outside the confines of genre. Referencing filmmaker Werner -Herzog's 2010 documentray Cave of Forgotten Dreams, the author reminds us that no mystery is deeper than humankind's existence: Who are we? What is the soul? What is art? No matter the tools of technological progress, we persist in picking through yesterday's layers in search of answers. But perhaps more important is the value of retaining some sense of mystery. After the slow fade of Spiritualism and its employment of new photographic techniques to create ghostly images, the clang and thunder of the industrial engine relocated the source of so-called supernatural phenomena from "outside" to the vulnerable realm of imagination and desire. Chief among the new literary exponents was Henry James, whose The Turn of the Screw (1898) revitalized gothic tropes. He was followed by Shirley Jackson, Paul Yoon, J.M. Coetzee, and other writers more interested in finding questions than snuffing mystery's essential relief from life's harsh realities. -VERDICT A rich survey looking beyond the usual academic treatment, for writers and readers alike.-William Grabowski, McMechen, WV © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Not whodunit, but why and how it works.Ask a professional how great fiction is created, and you will usually receive an answer about the importance of a good plot, descriptive language, and writing "what you know about." Casey (English/Univ. of Maryland; The Man Who Walked Away, 2014, etc.) goes for something deeper: how do great writers create that alluring kind of bewilderment that makes literary fiction unique? "Mystery in fiction," she writes, "means taking the reader to that land of Ununcertainty, unfathomability, unknowing. It's Kafka's axe to the frozen seas of our souls. In other words, it willand it shouldmess you up." Using a variety of compelling examples, the author shows the myriad ways mystery can seduce and conquer. Writers like Isaac Babel create a structure of innocence where readers, along with his young protagonists, reach an epiphany. Mystery can make characters come alive as we learn a character's secrets; perhaps even more so when we don't. As the writer Paul Yoon tells Casey, just knowing that one of his characters has an undisclosed secret may be a way of knowing him "more deeply, having caught a glimpse into something so very private." Mystery can also pull us deep into the lives of terrible peoplee.g., the protagonist of J.M. Coetzee's Waiting for the Barbariansor ones, such as Merricat in Shirley Jackson's We Have Always Lived in a Castle, whom we'd best avoid. These writers know how to normalize the most brutal or absurd private worlds. There is also imagerywhether it's poor Hulga's wooden leg in Flannery O'Connor's "Good Country People" or the multiplicity of windows in James Baldwin's "Sonny's Blues"that can transform the very environment of the story itself.For Casey, the search is the thing, whether as a writer or reader. This slim but astute volume is an inducement both to read more deeply and to head for ever more unchartered, frozen, mysterious waters. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
