Terry Bisson
This novel, like so many others, begins with a wonderful premise, one that can open up immense questions about the nature of expression and censorship- but a different kind than we are used to. Unfortunately, however, while his narrator's voice rings true and is eay and enjoyable to immerse oneself in, the philosophical potential of the novel's set-up is wasted on absurd plot developments that provide nothing but distraction and, in the end, disappointment. Bisson begins impressively, with his narrator addressing the reader directly and throwing readers headfirst into his world, where his job is to confiscate lingering works of art from artists who have been deleted. The conceit looks promising as Shapiro begins to doubt the utility of his job, but it quickly descends into a chaotic tangle of increasingly absurd and unexplained events. There is suspense and the reader comes to care about the characters (or at the very least Shapiro and his sick dog), but Bisson begins on such a serious note and with such a serious and important (not to mention meta) topic at hand that the novel's descent into endless jokes seems almost offensive, as if Bisson himself has missed the point in order to garner a few cheap laughs. There is too much that is unexplained and nebulous in this book, too much extraneous matter that simply doesn't belong- quite a feat for a slender volume such as this.
Though the novel fails on the largest levels, The Pickup Artist does have its merits. Shapiro is a likable and able narrator; the reader understands immediately the major predicament of the unfamiliar narrative world. Bisson also wisely intersperses historical notes between plot-based chapters, explaining the backstory behind the continuous cleansing of the artistic lexicon and giving the novel its most ponderous and fitting moments, even if they too dissolve into meaninglessness when they collide with the plot. Certain aspects of the novel, such as this backstory, are extremely well thought-out and thought-provoking, even after the book's events fail to hold the reader's interest. The talent and fundamental ideas are present here, along with some hilarious jokes, but they are lacking in execution as Bisson seems too concerned with making a "fun" book rather than an important one (and the two need not be mutually exclusive). The overall theme of the book, which takes the original premise and stands it on its head somewhat, is definitely interesting and provides a nice circular tie to the confiscation of A Canticle for Leibowitz that sets off the novel. Ultimately, the ideas and the writing are here, but the novel's execution and plot fail to give it the weight its subject matter deserves, weight that can be provided by the correct subtle hands but which is here used excessively to the detriment of the novel's overall quality. Bisson provides an interesting overall narrative and his ideas regarding artistic saturation are particularly relevant in the Internet era, but as soon as Shapiro steps afoul of the law the story follows him into unpleasantly loose and pointless territory.
Grade: C
Though the novel fails on the largest levels, The Pickup Artist does have its merits. Shapiro is a likable and able narrator; the reader understands immediately the major predicament of the unfamiliar narrative world. Bisson also wisely intersperses historical notes between plot-based chapters, explaining the backstory behind the continuous cleansing of the artistic lexicon and giving the novel its most ponderous and fitting moments, even if they too dissolve into meaninglessness when they collide with the plot. Certain aspects of the novel, such as this backstory, are extremely well thought-out and thought-provoking, even after the book's events fail to hold the reader's interest. The talent and fundamental ideas are present here, along with some hilarious jokes, but they are lacking in execution as Bisson seems too concerned with making a "fun" book rather than an important one (and the two need not be mutually exclusive). The overall theme of the book, which takes the original premise and stands it on its head somewhat, is definitely interesting and provides a nice circular tie to the confiscation of A Canticle for Leibowitz that sets off the novel. Ultimately, the ideas and the writing are here, but the novel's execution and plot fail to give it the weight its subject matter deserves, weight that can be provided by the correct subtle hands but which is here used excessively to the detriment of the novel's overall quality. Bisson provides an interesting overall narrative and his ideas regarding artistic saturation are particularly relevant in the Internet era, but as soon as Shapiro steps afoul of the law the story follows him into unpleasantly loose and pointless territory.
Grade: C
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