THE RIGHT KIND OF RAW

I have to be honest. I did not love Jubilee City. I understand its “artistic merit” to a point. Yes, it is uniquely compiled; Andoe creates a sort of montage with these clipped snapshots of his drug-enhanced life. It is edgy, in a sense, though seemingly repetitive at times. I walked away however without having absorbed any real commentary; the end product, for me, was not entirely complete. I thought the gaps in the piece were disarming. I didn’t see the work relate to larger issues. For this reason, I wasn’t sure what the next conquest would be like.

The Zero, however, is one of the more brilliantly-written pieces I’ve read in a long time. Jess Walter is bold, and his lens on the post 9-11 world is dark, though humorous, and entirely honest. His narration is strong. The language is beautiful. The commentary is raw and satirical, without being too political. The entire structure of the piece works really well for the subject matter. The narrator Remy has a problem with his memory – after shooting himself in the head, his consciousness skips, lurching through time from one moment to the next. Walter accounts for this in the prose, and not only suspenseful, it is incredibly effective. I found it difficult to read in one sitting, simply because the text is so involved. But after finishing, it truly is one of the more rewarding books I’d read.

Walters’ portrayal of New York City is also remarkable. It captures the very essence of the city, in all its quirks and simple humanity. An honest scrutiny at how people tried desperately to cope without answers – Walters shies away from none of it. From the blurbs on the back, I’d have to agree with the Boston Globe: Jess Walters is “a literary talent at large.”