Satin Island

Tom McCarthy

Fiction, 208 pages

There are so many ways to find a book. I just starting finding them on Instagram’s 12 million book stack pictures. I didn’t find Satin Island that way. I saw the glorious cover for this book at Eagle Eye Books in Decatur, GA. Not only is the cover awesome, the dust jacket summary and bio were written landscape style. The whole package just screamed READ ME. I took this book on a lake vacation with the fam. Satin Island breaks all the rules you hear in writing classes or from agents/editors: There isn’t a plot; no real action scenes; lots of telling and not showing.

I can already hear you: Well that sounds awful. But that’s exactly why I love this book. The main character doesn’t get his job done. The novel ends with a bizarre, macabre anecdote and I’m still not sure how it fits into the whole story. I am sure about one thing: Tom McCarthy is a genius. You’ll feel smarter after reading this book. The word choice and structure are challenging, but this is still a fast read at 200 pages. If you need something a little left field, I suggest you pick up Satin Island (If not, check out C., another amazing novel by McCarthy.)

Cheers, and happy reading!