I just ordered this. I'm very excited. kerouac's original writing got edited, like any other writing, when it was published; but if there's ever a book that was meant to be published unedited, it's on the road. read the original review (.pdf file) of the book in the NY Times; it seems pretty spot-on for something written in 1957. I don't know, my idea of 1957 is pretty dim: men with military haircuts who adhere to cardboard ideas of "moral modernity." I don't know.
you know, I love miranda july. I drooled over MAYAEWK. which was why I was a little shocked and confused that I didn't love No One Belongs Here More Than You. it felt cheap and commercial in places; which was the last thing I expected. but stories like "The Swimming Lesson" made me angry. they were like five pages of "quirky characters," very self-conscious "conceits" in place of story. I felt cheated by the easy shortcuts she took in some of the stories, like "Majesty," which was just a string of these quirks being played out almost in ordered alternation. it started to feel unspontaneous, very polished, and, you know what, commercial.
that's not to degrade the very high quality of stories like "Something That Needs Nothing," which truly does venture into deep waters. I really like that image of the main character wandering across town in a t-shirt that's cut off halfway and reads HONK. "Some people honked without even seeing the shirt." I liked that line. "How to Tell Stories to Children" is another great one.
but let me talk about why the movie was so great, and worked better: she had characters in ordinary situations saying weird things. those were the moments that made me feel the most enthralled, when two people just standing in a department store would suddenly say, "I loved you more than I have ever loved anyone," or something, I can't remember the exact line. but the progression was both striking and totally acceptable, in the world she had created.
this doesn't happen so successfully in the book, because everything is just snapshots. those kind of moments have to be earned, I feel, over a long period of time. if I were miranda july I would have extended one of the really good stories that I mentioned before into a novel, where there would be more elements to play around with, instead of just like three, which is not very many. it's kind of like an amateur magician who expects the audience to be surprised by switching three cards a few times and then goes, "where's your card? there - isn't it amazing!" and it's like, dude, I don't get distracted that easily - I saw that one coming.
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