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Book plug 3: Iceland Posted on 09/26/2002.

I can hear the public thinking, "Oh dear god. Is Peter talking about a work of fiction? A novel? You mean, he occasionally allows himself flights of fancy?" Yes. Occasionally. There's a little to story as to why I read Iceland. I know the author, Jim Krusoe. Not well, and not for a while--he was the stepdad of one of my best friends in elementary school. But I've always had a fondness for him, and when I saw he had written his first novel, and I saw that I had a lot of travel ahead of me (this was a couple months back, yo), I went ahead and purchased it.

And it's very good! Jim has spent the bulk of his writing years as a poet, and it shows. His narrative is ethereal yet vivid. Surreal, though it makes sense. I could rehash the plot, about a man, with a defective organ, and his meandering journey, meeting beautiful women, carpet cleaners, and visiting Iceland, but, well, it's kind of not the point. The point is in the telling, which is evocative, funny, and delightfully off-center. You never know quite where you're standing in the flow of the story, yet you're effortlessly guided forward by Jim's feverish turns of phrase and elliptical storytelling.

This book makes for *excellent* lazy Sunday reading. Enjoy!

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