The Diviners

Rick Moody
Little, Brown and Company (2007)
ISBN 0316013277
Reviewed by April Sullivan for Reader Views (2/07)

“The Diviners” is an ambitious full-bodied novel about a varied cast of characters all related in some way to the central plot, the development of a TV mini-series. The staff of Means of Production, the UBC Network, a bicycle messenger, a Sikh driver, an action movie star -- all seem to be caught up in Hollywood madness to get this TV show produced. Yet we are thousands of miles away from Hollywood.

The book is set in New York City and starts on the day after the 2000 Presidential election. Details of the election are minimally mentioned in the book, and September 11th is vaguely alluded to. Yet these events are so fresh in the minds of the reader, that Moody, in a mastermind way, sets a political tone for the book without even trying.

The book is structured in a way that you can’t help but get caught up in it. Moody’s eccentric and carefully crafted characters have their own sub-plots that keep the story moving along. An ode to Krispy Kreme, a man’s fetish for young girls with disabilities, a bi-polar bike messenger accused of a crime, a driver turned TV consultant, are just some of the strange people and events to be met on this journey. And then you must pause to find out what is happening on the popular TV show “The Werewolves of Fairfield County.”

Moody’s style is fast-paced and hilarious and each chapter is its own little gem. The sentence structure is such that I found myself reading a chapter in one long breath, only stopping to catch my breath momentarily before starting the next chapter.

“The Diviners” is a wild ride. Once you get on, be prepared to be giddy to the end. And if you feel like you are getting sick, there is no getting off, you just have to ride it out. This book will be hard to top for my 2007 reading list. I recommend “The Diviners” to anyone who wants something different and fun to read, and then you can return to your regularly scheduled programming.

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