Next: A Novel
By James Hynes
Author James Hynes has taught
creative writing at UT Austin among other higher learning institutions.
His reviews and essays have been published in The Washington Post, The New York Times, Boston Review, and the
online magazine Salon.com. His four previous novels have explored
everything from the I.R.A. to absolute horror. And in his new novel, Next: A Novel, he explores
the mind of a man experiencing a mid life crisis and whose thoughts run
wild with some of the most incredible scenarios imagined.
Protagonist Kevin Quinn is
one of the most neurotic and sex-starved literary characters that I've
ever come across - and perhaps that is part of what makes him so
interesting and enduring. Kevin decides to disconnect himself
from his responsibilities back in Ann Arbor, Michigan - including his
job and his live-in lover - and secretly sets up a job interview in
Austin, in hopes of starting over with a new job and a new life.
Ever obsessed with sex, death and
himself, Kevin's plane ride into Austin is nothing short of an
adventure itself. Infatuated with the Asian woman next to him -
who he decides to call Joy, as she is reading Amy Tan's The Joy Luck Club - he
begins to fantasize about her and all the sex acts they can do with
each other. Kevin soon becomes upset, because she isn't paying as
much attention to him as he would like, so his mind wanders elsewhere.
Not thinking of
"Joy," he begins to think of terrorists, planes exploding and
dying a fiery death. He works himself into such a frenzied panic
that he is only slightly relieved when he lands safely in Austin.
In a hurry to disembark - because he's convinced himself that
terrorists are all around him - he scrambles to get off the plane, but
not before catching a few peeks down "Joy's" shirt.
Early for his appointment, he
kills time by walking around to checkout the city. When he spots
his "Joy," he follows her through the streets of Austin in
hopes of being noticed.
But Kevin's mind never strays
from terrorists and sex - he thinks about blowjobs and bombs the way
most people think of paying bills and getting to work on time.
What follows is a mixture of satire, drama, infatuation and utter
horror as Kevin Quinn's life collapses around him.
Is he having a nervous breakdown?
Is he insane? Is he a prophet? Is he the sex god that
he sees himself as being, as or is he just as mundane as the rest of
the suits walking around him?
Fellow authors have praised Next: A Novel as being
"surprising," "delightful," "a
tour-de-force," and - in the words of one writer -
"profound." Kate Christensen, the author of The Great Man, referred
to Hynes as writing "…like [James] Joyce on Quaaludes, in
spiky, gorgeous language…" and that the ending of the book
is one of the best of any novel she has ever read.
With the exception of the ending, I
have to disagree. Reading Next is like reading the mind of an over-sexed, middle-aged
man with ADD. No where in the book does one find even one iota of
James Joyce in style, language, or plot - confusing as Joyce may
be. Joyce's writings are considered modernist literature, and
were written not only in a heightened language, but in a specific
dialect. Next, like American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis and Crash by J.G. Ballard - not to be confused with the
2004 film of the same name - is more postmodern and even transgressive
fiction.
Comparing James Hynes to
James Joyce - on- or off-Quaaludes - is like comparing the acting
skills of Lassie with those of Katherine Hepburn. They are two very
distinct voices conveying their story in very different ways.
Hynes has his own voice, and what
a voice it is - you are not sure if you want to laugh, cringe or shake
your head in disbelief while reading this book. The last 50 pages are
almost beyond comprehension and like nothing I've read before - or
expect to see again. The book isn't for everyone, but Part Three of the
book is among the best pieces of work I've read in a long time.
It would be a shame not to see Next on the New York Times Bestseller List.
Nick Manix is a professional writer and journalist
who splits his time between Central Texas and New Orleans.
(Cover image courtesy Amazon.com)
