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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 21, 2005)
October 21.2005 » 45 BOOKS ombining two different genres into a single work can be a challenge for any writer, particularly the tricky combina tion of horror and comedy. Pet boutique owner and West Hollywood resident Hal Bodner t<x>k this challenge for his debut novel, the unfortunately titled Bite Club (Alyson Pub lications, 2005; $14.95 softcover), taking the risk that grisly vampire slayings, WeHo city council intrigues, a compulsive-eating but sassy straight female coroner and rampant violent slapstick would fonn a cohesive whole. It doesn’t, in a big way. The happy-go-lucky coroner, Becky O’Brien, is a medical genius and is almost never seen without some candy or dessert on its way into her mouth, or smeared all over her face. When the coroner’s office becomes swamped with the bkx)d-drained corpses of waxed, toned pretty boys, she calls upon the help of her old college friend Chris Driscoll, who happens to be a vam pire himself, to get to the bottom of the mystery. Chris moves out to West Holly wood to help Becky, with his extremely annoying, flamboyant young protégé, Troy, preced ing him to get a little deco- • rating done— The vampire strikes back C Hum sucks readers in; Club just bites by J emiah J efferson and of course stir up some trouble so that the quieter, devoted Chris can flex a little vampire fang in defense of him. Unfortunately, Bodner lets his own enthusi asm for the story run away with him, populat ing the novel with characters both cliched and unbelievable, and displaying more attitude than storytelling. It’s a shame he isn’t as funny as he thinks he is; if he were, this novel would he a riot. More successful is Calgary, Alberta, author Suzette Mayr’s strange, dreamlike Venous Hum (Arsenal Pulp Press, 2005; $16.95 softcover), which is something like a dark-comedy, lesbian, Canadian Romy and Michele’s High. School Reunion. The book is extremely sparse on horror ele ments, waiting to intrixluce them until more than halfway through the novel, but the uncanny is never far from the surface, and nothing is ever completely what it seems. Lai Fun Kugelheim, though she’s married to the lovely and successful Jennifer and mother of baby Fredrick (named after rhe homosexual king of Prussia), is having an affair with Thor, the husband of her best friend, Stefanja, to her own confusion and distaste. After the death of one of their high schixil classmates, the perky Stefanja decides to organize a 20-year reunion “before any body else dies.” In the process, Lai Fun sees Ste fanja returning to the same clique of square, plastic, hypocritical popular kids as in high school, and can’t help feeling the familiar alienation all over again. Lai Fun finds herself in the midst of teen-age memories of the struggle of being a biracial, queer outcast, tangling up an already complicated present of trying to keep her affair a secret, managing a second pregnancy and spending time with her extremely strange immigrant mother, who is a strict vegetarian...most of the time. Though the novel is not always successful—in particular, its culmina tion throws all logic to the wind and seems hardly connected with the first 200 pages— Mayr’s characters are original, well-drawn and fresh, her slightly off-kilter alternate reality full of surprises and relationship intrigues. Unfortunately, the sharp satire and soap opera complex web of relationships eventual ly muddy the waters, and the author’s post post-modern approach to structure holds the reader at a distance. JH Portland st*rf*ck*r JEMIAH JEFFERSON is the author of Voice of the Bkxxl, Wounds and Fiend. Home Theatre • Home Audio • Sound Advice The Talley Trilogy NADL73, 999.00 By Lanford Wilson 2627 NE BROADWAY 503-280-0910 Talley’s Folly WWW.STEREOTYPESAUDIO.COM October 6 - October 30 *?■< 4 Weeks Only i Learn to Dance Winner of the Pulitzer Prize Arena Stage at TheaterlTheatre! Romance Money Patriotism Talley 6 Son Country October 6 - October 30 Follow the stirring journey of one American family in 3 classic plays by Lanford Wilson, filled with humor, sorrow and unforgettable drama. Swing Waltz 503-236-5129 out dandngeyahooxom Foxtrot 4 Weeks Only Theatre Noir at TheaterlTheatre! "Philip Seymour Hoffman's unmissable and unforgettable performance as Truman Capote should make him the front-runner for every Best Actor prize in the book. CAPOTE is a movie that doesn't pull its punches. ITS A KNOCKOUT!*’ -Peter Travers, ROLLING STONE Fifth of July November 3 - 6,10 -13 profile Staged Reading Theatre Noir at TheaterlTheatre! BASED ON THE BOOK BY GOULD CLARKE SCJKJflAYBYOMIfUTTERNWI DIRECTED BY BENNETT MUIER l . lit T h <». atre project (503) 242-0080 - 'ZA 1 /i Æ 1 o % Äh4 »ÍK í / ■ 4 X I I XZ>....2fc..>. t L 'Q _ y tar . jP'- y I/A 1 Mr > ■‘^»01 ---------Hf «XL ¿IÑÍUÁI----------- 1 FOX TOWER 10 1HOO FANDANGO x327 3430 SE Belmont Street ■ www.profiletheatre.org VIEW THE TRAILER ÀT VÌWW.CÀPOTÉfìLMCOM |
