Shimmer

By Sarah Schulman

Book Overview

Set against the backdrop of post-World War II New York City, three people--Sylvia Golubowsky, an aspiring reporter waiting for a big break; Austin Van Cleeve, a gossip columnist who wields a wicked pen; and Cal Byfield, a cook who is determined to create a Negro theater on Broadway--cross paths in t

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0380797658
• ISBN13: 9780380797653
• Release Date: August 1999
• Publisher: Perennial
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 0.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.3" x 0.8" x 5.3"

Customer Reviews

as it is

I read "shimmer" in german, the paperback-edition. And as in the beginning I expected fiction and characters like I knew them from other Sarah Schulman books like Empathy or Rat Bohemia, such ones I could easily identify with, I first was surprised, that it had not this issue. I was breathless each time I took the book - I read her using words I didn't find yet to express thoughts I didn't have yet, but knew and felt deep inside. And the more I read I loved the way she used the 1950ies to describe today's reality.

Sarah Schulman borrows from Kurt Vonnegut

I bought this book after reading "Girls, Visions & Everything" and was initially disappointed in the characters in this book. Schulman abandons the gay urban setting, trading it for the age of McCarthyism. However, after reading a few chapters, I began to get immensely drawn into the narrative. The writing is amazing, linking different characters from different times and places into one cohesive story. The ability to see the events from many perspectives is creative and interesting. The book reminded me a great deal of "Slaughterhouse Five" in its seemingly disconnected events that later are drawn together into one larger story.

Shimmer shimmers

This novel is a provocative depiction of McCarthy era New York. It is a departure, in a way, for Schulman, taking the form of a well researched historical novel. But in other ways it continues her previous themes and preoccupations--the disenfranchised, the marginal, the way gay children are treated by their parents. Schulman has a remarkable gift with language, and her tracking of the ways of the heart is equally remarkable. The characters are multidimensional and complex, and the story is told in a compelling narrative form. Highly recommended for anyone interested in contemporary fiction.