Read Time:1 Minute, 45 Second
Anne Tyler once said that It
Happened in Boston? “is so ingenious that summing it up is next to impossible,” so I
guess I shouldn’t feel bad that I’m having a hard time putting it into
words…
Originally published in 1968, this book has become a bit of a
cult classic — probably because of its uniqueness and imagination. Boston? is
the story of a talented artist whose life spins out of control. He gives up his art and
spends his days in Boston’s Public Garden, having out-of-body time-travel experiences and
attempting to avoid the other unusual people who flock to the Garden. He eventually
decides that there’s something wrong with the world — and it’s his calling to hunt down
God and kill Him.
Boston? is not, by any means, a quick, casual
read. It’s written in a style that’s similar to a Tarantino film — it skips around
chronologically, and I often wondered if the narrator was describing something that just
happened or something that happened ten years ago.
From the book’s first
sentence, “Lately I have come to feel that the pigeons are spying on me,” I knew I was in
for a roller-coaster ride. And that’s exactly what I got — though it was more like one
of those roller-coasters that’s ridden totally in the dark, with no knowledge of what
comes next. It could be a trip to the park, a story about how the narrator once painted
an exact replica of the Mona Lisa (replacing her famous smirk with a big, toothy grin), a
conversation with young Randolph and his pet (stuffed) frog, Sebastian, or a description
of the narrator’s run-in with his hated neighbor lady. But that’s what makes
Boston? so captivating.
If you’re looking for an alternative
to…well, to everything you’ve ever read, pick up a copy of It Happened in
Boston? But before you begin reading, fasten your seat belt, and please remember to
remain seated until the ride has come to a complete stop.
Kristin Dreyer Kramer has been writing in some form or another (usually when she was supposed to be doing something else) since the ripe old age of ten—when she, her cousin, and their two Cabbage Patch Dolls formed the Poo Authors’ Club. After a short career in advertising, Kristin got sick of always saying nice things about stuff that didn’t deserve it—so now she spends her days criticizing things, and she’s much happier for it.
Since creating NightsAndWeekends.com in February of 2002, Kristin has spent her life surrounded by piles and piles of books and movies—so many that her office has become a kind of entertainment obstacle course.
As if her writing and editing responsibilities for N&W.com weren’t enough to keep her out of trouble, Kristin also hosts a number of weekly radio shows: Reel Discovery, Shelf Discovery, and On the Marquee. She’s also a proud member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association (CriticsChoice.com), the Central Ohio Film Critics Association (COFCA.org), the Online Film Critics Society (OFCS.org), and the Women Film Critics Circle (WFCC.Wordpress.com).
Kristin lives in Columbus, Ohio, with her husband, Paul, and their daughter, Anna. She welcomes questions, comments, and fan mail at kdk@nightsandweekends.com.
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Kristin Dreyer Kramer has been writing in some form or another (usually when she was supposed to be doing something else) since the ripe old age of ten—when she, her cousin, and their two Cabbage Patch Dolls formed the Poo Authors’ Club. After a short career in advertising, Kristin got sick of always saying nice things about stuff that didn’t deserve it—so now she spends her days criticizing things, and she’s much happier for it.
Since creating NightsAndWeekends.com in February of 2002, Kristin has spent her life surrounded by piles and piles of books and movies—so many that her office has become a kind of entertainment obstacle course.
As if her writing and editing responsibilities for N&W.com weren’t enough to keep her out of trouble, Kristin also hosts a number of weekly radio shows: Reel Discovery, Shelf Discovery, and On the Marquee. She’s also a proud member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association (CriticsChoice.com), the Central Ohio Film Critics Association (COFCA.org), the Online Film Critics Society (OFCS.org), and the Women Film Critics Circle (WFCC.Wordpress.com).
Kristin lives in Columbus, Ohio, with her husband, Paul, and their daughter, Anna. She welcomes questions, comments, and fan mail at kdk@nightsandweekends.com.
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