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Nicholson Baker Fan PageA Box of Matches (2003)
I was elated to hear that Baker was working on this novel. I was even more elated when I learned that it would be in the "classic Baker" tradition of his first two novels. I abandoned the book I was reading, and jumped right into it. I was not disappointed. Well, maybe just a bit. The book is simply too short, and it left me wanting more. A Box of Matches is similar to The Mezzanine in that both books don't really have a plot. Rather, the appeal is Baker's writing style and his amazing insights into mundane objects and activities. But Matches is less analytical, and has a completely different tone. Reading it put me into a very peaceful state of mind. The Mezzanine remains my favorite (I like the footnotes!), but A Box of Matches is not far behind. Opening Sentence:Good morning, it's January and it's 4:17 a.m., and I'm going to sit here in the dark. Book Jacket Copy:Emmett has a wife and two children, a cat, and a duck, and he wants to know what life is about. Every day he gets up before dawn, makes a cup of coffee in the dark, lights a fire with one wooden match, and thinks. What Emmett thinks about is the subject of this wise and closely observed novel, which covers vast distances while moving no farther than Emmett's hearth and home. Nicholson Baker's extraordinary ability to describe and celebrate life in all its rich ordinariness has never been so beautifully achieved. Baker won the National Book Critics Circle Award for Double Fold; Libraries and the Assault on Paper. He now returns to fiction with this lovely book, reminiscent of the early novels -- Room Temperature and The Mezzanine -- that established his reputation. Links: |
