Amy Hempel
I chuckled when I read this. The way she goes "There, it's open." was such a good line. And yes, "He opened the door "told us everything we needed to know, and still left us wondering what happened next.
I imagine as a writer that getting the balance right between beautiful and lyrical, and straightforward and easily understood is an ongoing project when writing a novel. I remember the first time I read Michael Ondatje's The English Patient. When folk asked me what I thought about it, I said "the writing was so beautiful it was almost impossible to understand".
I had been taken away on the beauty of the words, and the descriptions. I found them tantalising in and of themselves. Whilst they were stunningly lyrical and evocative, somehow, for me, they didn't improve my comprehension or help me follow along with the story.
On second reading I understood a lot more; but for that first time around I could probably have used a few more flat-footed sentences!
Not quite open yet...
I recently read two books by Niall Williams ... his writing gives new meaning to "a turn of phrase" ... in all the best ways
ReplyDeleteHis writing is sublime, and always sure-footed, never flat-footed! I love it so much I went searching for authors who might be like him here:
Deletehttps://www.literature-map.com/niall+williams