If the novel, or book, or bound object overflowing with print, is indeed a performance, then Dave Reidy's (pronounced reedy) Captive Audience would be the kind that leaves the reader, watcher, viewer, in a state of momentary awe. Captive Audience is his debut, and it does what lots of debut full length feature novels can only hope for. This is short fiction with a through-line, that through-line being performing. Whether it's a hacky stand up comedian campaigning to win over an audience, or a rock n' roll band trying to inject the crowd with a bit of life through sound, or even a star athlete seeking redemption, on and off the court. Dave Reidy chose a shape shifting motif to center his stories around, and his performance was nothing short of show stopping.
Every last Tuesday of the month I host a book club here at the bookstore (the Hard Boiled Book Club). It is fun. We read lots of fiction and form our theories about what we've read. Last Tuesday we met and discussed Captive Audience. We were lucky enough to be joined by Dave Reidy on the telephone. He answered our questions with an easy wit, and was generous with his time. He even dispelled the chopped pronunciation of his name that had been circulating the bookstore for weeks.
If you're reading this and are even remotely curious about the book club, come, we love new faces, freckles too. For May we're reading Willy Vlautin's third novel: Lean on Pete. He's also going to be here in the bookstore next Wednesday, May 5th at six, reading and signing.
We'd love to see you!
House.
2 years ago
