July 28, 2004
Book Bites #2
I picked up Samantha Gillison’s second novel “The King of America” because I’m interested in stories featuring college students as lead characters. But Stephen Hesse is not just any Ivy Leaguer: He’s modeled on Michael Rockefeller, a son of immense wealth and privilege. Like Rockefeller, he finally finds a calling searching for tribal artwork in the remote regions of New Guinea, a lush and frightening territory also described in Gillison’s well-reviewed first book, “The Undiscovered Country.” Rockefeller disappeared during one such adventure in 1961; Hesse’s fate is described in sad, sensuous detail from the first pages of the book.
“The King of America” takes a while to settle into its narrative rhythm. But it makes a very unlikable character remarkably sympathetic, and it’s laced with a kind of intelligent eroticism. Discussions of Lévi-Strauss follow on the heels of charged (and one-sided) love scenes, to my mind the strongest scenes of the book. For a smart and sexy read, I recommend it.
Posted by Rachel at July 28, 2004 12:53 PM
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