2 parts here, Part 1: A comment on writing fiction.
I recently made it about 60% through a Substack novel which I didn’t like (if you’re wondering if it’s yours, it’s not. I messaged the author directly). It took me some parsing to figure out why I didn’t like the book. I think the best fiction combines thoughts/opinions/convictions within excellent writing. On either side of this you have either a superbly written vacuous piece, or a poorly written piece of propaganda. The book I chose not to finish was fraught with convictions but the story didn’t hold it. It felt like the convictions were more important than the actual story, which I didn’t care for. There are good stories that fall into the vacuous or even propaganda categories, but I don’t know that there are any excellent ones. So, for me, an excellent story needs the marriage of conviction with content – good writing and deep thought.
Part 2, the review.
Mars In Retrograde by James Worth is a novel that balances these two things so harmoniously, the entire novel sings. This is the novel equivalent of a movie where “every shot is a painting”. A Denis Villeneuve or Ari Aster film with a Wes Anderson soul. The dialogue is perfect. The prose is perfect. The speed, the layout, the story, the length. Everything. It’s all beautiful, it’s all meaningful. Characters flower, the story blossoms. I opened it and knew before I finished the first page that I would love this book. I was right. By the halfway point I knew this would be my book of the year, if I did such a thing. I did myself a huge disservice by not reading this sooner. Don’t make the same mistake I did.
