Chabon

I've been on a bit of a Michael Chabon kick lately. Having read The Final Solution--a short novel about an unnamed detective who is, quite clearly, Sherlock Holmes--I tried The Yiddish Policemen's Union, and loved it. So, in the last month, among a half dozen other books, I finish The Amazing Adventure of Kavalier and Clay, as well as The Mysteries of Pittsburgh.

Kavalier and Clay, a book many consider his magnum opus (a designation I always find bizarre, and especially here, given that he's not only not dead, but not even 50), was tremendous. Lengthy, beautifully designed, encompassing a vast array of topics, and with characters so rich and lifelike they still seem like people I knew personally, it is also a vastly American novel. The New York City that existed during the golden era of comic books (Kavalier and Clay are cousins, who create a hugely popular--for a time, anyway--comic book called The Escapist) is recreated in technicolor, or, more appropriately, a million shades of gray. There aren't too many colors available for use in the blossoming city, and, though it has a somewhat noir-ish feel, it still smacks very much of being life-like. This is, and always has been, Chabon's forte.






Which brings me to The Mysteries of Pittsburgh, Chabon's first novel. It is a coming-of-age tale about a young man named Art Bechstein, who struggles (often histrionically) with his sexuality, both homo- and hetero-. This book, like Kavalier and Clay, exhibits Chabon's mastery of characterization, as well as his uncanny ability to portray place; the catch, though, is that these powers are only in seed here, which still makes for better reading than many other long-time authors, but still leaves a bit to be desired when compared to books like Kavalier and Clay and The Yiddish Policemen's Union. I suppose it's pretty unfair to make the comparison now. It might even be pointless--nearly every good author gets better over time (though many have been known to crest sometime between their forties and sixties). That said, even The Mysteries of Pittsburgh is well worth the time to read.




If you get a chance, check something of his out. He's a really compelling essayist, too, though I haven't read his new-ish collection, Maps and Legends. But I have, so far, read four of his novels, and not one of them has been a disappointment. I look forward to catching up on the rest, and seeing what else he will offer in time.