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Monday, February 14, 2011

The Ingram Interview: A Novel by K. B. Dixon

 

From back of book:

"As a rule I have a tendency to be in favor of moderation - except when it comes to temperature.  Sixty degrees, like it is today, is roughly speaking the climatic equivalent of the middle way.  It's bland - like modesty.  It's probably my least favorite temperature.  It's neither stimulating nor stupefying.  It's blah - like chicken broth."

The Ingram Interview, K. B. Dixon's unrepentantly quirky new novel, weaves its way interrogatively through the life of Daniel Ingram, a retired, none-too-healthy English professor who has been kicked out of an assisted-care facility, because he was depressing other residents.  Moving in temporarily with a former student of his - a young art-film maker named Michael Berger - Daniel works fitfully on a ramshackle memoir as he continues to pursue a reconciliation with his absent ex-wife. 

My thoughts:

This review will be short, since I can't seem to find much to write about this book.  All I can say about it is that I found it to be both interesting and odd.  This is a book told entirely in the form of Q&A, hence the term "interview" included in the title.  At first I was a bit put off by this format, but I quickly adjusted and found that I enjoyed reading the story unfold in this manner.  Actually, its not really a story, but more of a peek into the day to day life of  Daniel Ingram, a man who is not terribly likeable - mainly because he is not very interesting and rather aloof towards people.  However, I still found myself wanting to find out whether or not Daniel would be moving in with his ex-wife or if Michael's movie would be a hit - so, I kept reading.  At the end of the day, it was a strangely satisfying read.  I found myself dipping in and out of the book throughout this past week and enjoying the fact that I was able to do so with such ease and without any disruption to my reading flow.  Definitely a book I'm glad I read - mainly because it inspired me to start branching out a bit more with my reading habits.  Instead of picking up what is familiar to me, I need to start embracing the unfamiliar. 

Well, I'm off to read some Villette (which is unfamiliar to me, because I'm not a huge fan of the classics).  Happy Reading!
And, thank you, Ken for The Ingram Interview!

3 comments:

Wallace said...

Haha, you are full of the unfamiliar this year! Good for you.. even if they aren't things you like, at least you've tried them.

Nadia said...

I'm trying! LOL! Thanks, Wallace! By the by, I'm caught up in Villette, so I'll be ready to post this week ;)

Ana S. said...

I also often feel that I need to branch out a little more in my reading. This one sounds worth it for the uniqueness of the format alone.