Brian Marshall

This was such a cool book. Richard Constairs is a magician and illusionist working during the tail end of the Great Depression in a little theatre that can barely pay the bills. The opening scene is brilliantly described, drawing you into the time period and setting the stage for the sense of wonder the book conveys. Constairs’ agent presents an opportunity—to go out to Hollywood and do special effects on the new Wizard of Oz movie that’s being taped. With few options, Constairs agrees. I really found the historical fiction parts of the book fun, particularly on the movie set, but just as I was sure I knew what direction the book was taking, everything got turned on its head and the book became something else, full of magical realism where parlor tricks become real magic✨.

As a lover of magical realism and historical fiction, I loved reading key moments in history described in intricate detail, particularly the lead up to and aftermath of the JFK assassination, and the conversation with Judy Garland after she sings Somewhere Over the Rainbow🌈, and then seeing the scenes infused with magical realism, twisting crazy conspiracy theories into a really fun ride. It was a fun, quirky novel that I’d highly recommend for fantasy lovers who enjoy their history!… (altro)

A Tale of Living Life on One’s Own Terms … and Often Growing from It

Choosing the Dark is a coming of age tale that finds our protagonist, Rob Walstein, at the juncture between high school and, you guessed it, the rest of his life. Concerned that he’d spent his first seventeen years trying to be what others expected, Rob wants to find himself. So, he leaves his comfortable, middle-class home on the outskirts of San Francisco and moves into the city, lives in a dive, and makes rent (barely) by washing dishes. He also gets a girl—or at least, has a one-night stand—and joins a band led by a self-destructive poet, their music described by what it’s not. It’s not punk, not metal, not rock … maybe not even music, but it stirs his soul. All of these events are quite well-crafted by author Brian Marshall, with interesting and vivid analogies and a sprinkling of humor. Overall, the prose is excellent, although some simple typos detract slightly.

Coming of age tales, however, aren’t defined by their action but rather, by the protagonist’s personal growth. And if you’re expecting a story where a significant aspect of history, social expectations, or cultural norms profoundly affects the main character’s maturation—as slavery did for Huckleberry Finn, for example—you won’t find it in this book. What you find instead is a potpourri of Rob’s emerging philosophies on topics as diverse as parent-child relations, compassion, love, religion, and death. Some are thought-provoking, such as Rob’s relationship with his mother. Many, however, are shallow, mere fortune-cookie thoughts—they sound fine but have little meaning. And a few appear ill-fitting to the character. Rob, for example, occasionally laments his aloofness, his desire to remain free of attachment. His actions, however, show just the opposite. He starts and ends his story worrying about how his mother will react to his quest for self-awareness. Even his first encounter on his journey results in much stronger emotions than the act of casual sex would imply. Insensitive seems wholly inappropriate for Rob, even before coming of age.

Overall, I enjoyed the well-crafted portrayal of Rob living his life on his own terms, but what he learned from it—sometimes, it was hard to tell.… (altro)