Oh8ch said:
I think it is time the members of this board knew just what kind of pervert runs this site.
I like these kind of threads because I get lots of good recommendations from people I respect. So when Clarity said he was reading "everythig by A. M. Homes" I thought this was somebody I should look into.
Lol. She is controversial, but not for the sake of controversy. Start with
The Safety of Objects. A collection of short stories, all sort of related to the ugly underbelly of suburbia. If you like that, then move on to
Music for Torching, which carries forward one of the stories in the first. Once you've read that, the movie version of 'Safety' is now out on DVD, and is absolutely worth a viewing if you liked the book.
If you liked those, move to
Things You Should Know. Another collection of shorts. Then, if you're feeling particularly adventurous, try
The End of Alice -- which is the work she's drawn the most ire for. The subject matter in that one can be troubling, but you're drawn in by her development of the characters. That's the funny thing about Homes, she writes well, but regularly (bravely I think) constantly tests your boundaries and perceptions. Nevertheless you don't often (I have only once or twice, and only in
The End of Alice) feel like she's just writing to shock. Garbage like that is the domain of
Cows, which I was more dared to read than anything else, and it's not something I'd recommend to anyone except those who simply want to be shocked and turned off. It's an exercise in cheap gross-outs, and not really worth the effort. Homes on the other hand, in my eyes, is a terrific writer with a great mind.
I've done all the ones I've mentioned, and am into both
Jack, and
In a Country of Mothers now.
She's not for everyone. People should read about any of the titles mentioned here before taking them on, but I've found them entirely worth my time. I'll read anything else she writes, as she writes it.
At some point I should make a list here of all the titles I've read this year. Can't recommend all of them (or even many of them), but I agree that it's really interesting to see what others are reading. I add a lot of books to my Amazon queue that way.
