Daniel Wagner lives in Basel, Switzerland. A movie...and a book is his first novel.
“A sly novel. . . . Figuring out what is fiction and what is reality is half the fun of this book.” –Milwaukee Journal Sentinel"I'm honestly not sure whether I was so happily hypnotized by a movie . . . and a book because of the spellbinding film it unspooled in my mind or because of the way it held me enrapt as a novel. But I do know that I was absolutely mesmerized by it from the start to finish." –Chris Bohjalian, author of Midwives and The Buffalo Soldier"A must-read for fans of Memento and Adaptation." –Eric Garcia, author of Matchstick Men
Life, as stated by the characters in Wagner's first novel, is simultaneously a movie and a book. The difference? When we watch, or create, a movie, we're envying, pitying, or empathizing with the characters-or simply glad we're not up on screen. In a book, characters conflict, scrape by, and persevere, and Wagner's are no exception. Here, we experience both situations as parallel stories intersect when an unsuccessful writer who works by day in a grocery store joins his younger, video game-playing, adman brother in a plan to bring the writer's son romantic and, presumably, overall happiness. In the context of real life, the scheme is preposterous, but as the vehicle for a motion picture, it is a proven clich?. The novel goes beyond juxtaposing objective and subjective, fiction and reality, and rather bravely examines who or what is responsible for the unendingly fascinating narratives in which we all find ourselves. The ending will seem obvious to some, cause others to turn back to the beginning, and will make still others shrug. Open interpretation (i.e., perspective), it turns out, is the book's raison d'?tre, and a light scratching of the head may be an intended outcome. Recommended for large public libraries and academic fiction collections.-Edward Keane, Long Island Univ. Lib., Brooklyn Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.
"A sly novel. . . . Figuring out what is fiction and what is reality is half the fun of this book." -Milwaukee Journal Sentinel"I'm honestly not sure whether I was so happily hypnotized by a movie . . . and a book because of the spellbinding film it unspooled in my mind or because of the way it held me enrapt as a novel. But I do know that I was absolutely mesmerized by it from the start to finish." -Chris Bohjalian, author of Midwives and The Buffalo Soldier"A must-read for fans of Memento and Adaptation." -Eric Garcia, author of Matchstick Men
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