book 65

a.l. kennedy's everything you need
i am seriously bummed that the chapel hill library seems to only have two books by kennedy and now i've read them both. she's really brilliant at characterization--her characters here are all fairly eccentric writers living on an isolated island, and even the minor figures are memorable and interesting (especially the lovable dog!). the main thrust of the plot is that a young writer comes to stay in their writers' colony and is unknowingly connected to one of the other writers there (this relationship is revealed early on, and i think most readers would pick it up even earlier). kennedy's own writing is lyrical, yes sometimes harsh, and difficult to read for its harshness. not that i wouldn't wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone, because i do.