Philly Flavors (Part II)

Today's post discusses more literature with a strong Philly flavor.

In The Bridge, Solomon Jones depicts a darker side of Philadelphia. This book, with its descriptions of drug addiction and life in the projects of North Philly, fascinated me because it was so different from my life just a few miles away in Northwest Philadelphia. Although the plot feels contrived, Jones’s convincing details show his thorough knowledge of his subject matter. The author does a great job showing the forces that pull people into addiction and poverty.

Less grim is The Summer Guest, by Justin Cronin, which is the sort of book critics are justified in calling luminous. Although most of the novel is set in rural Maine, some of the flashbacks take place in Philadelphia. He writes beautifully, with a precise but not ornate style, and I wish I hadn't gotten this book from the library so I could share some examples. In places, Cronin eschews specific names of places and companies to depict a sense of place more broadly; he writes about living in a row home, for example, and shows the impact of the Blue Route’s construction on one family, but he doesn't feel the need to convince us of his expertise by mentioning every intersection and restaurant. I got much more of a sense of Philadelphia from his book than I did from Jonathan Franzen’s 2001 bestseller The Corrections, part of which is set in the wealthy Chestnut Hill neighborhood. My husband and I agreed that Franzen seems better at name-dropping (schools, restaurants, street names) than creating an authentic sense of place. It was hard to tell whether he knew the area or had merely consulted a guide book. (Also, I’m miffed at Franzen for ending Oprah’s first book club and destroying my fantasy that once my novel is published Oprah will choose it and propel me to the best seller lists.)

Now that I've arrived in St. Louis (and in fact am living in Franzen's hometown, Webster Groves), it's time for me to start absorbing some Midwestern literature. If anyone has suggestions, please let me know, and I'll write about them in a future post.