Customer Reviews

Artrage

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An intensely engaging story, skillfully structured. Everett Aison's "Artrage" unlocked sensations I long ago encountered with Camus' "The Stranger": Mystery, Ambivalence, Motivation; and a powerfully peculiar appreciation that the world I'd anticipated is far from rational.

Artrage is an amazing exploration that takes a seemingly simple act of vandalism and expands it into a brilliant and witty examination of today's cultural perversions. The author has managed to skewer the art scene, TV shows, politics, sex - you name it. I was dazzled by his ability to move from one scene to another without any of the conventional transitions. As a reader I wasn't bothered by the author's refusal to give in to a pat explanation for the initial "crime." Aison is a true original.

"Van Zant closes his folder and looks at Mace, who remains silent
and impassive.
`A blue-collar kid who makes it as a top lawyer and a serious
collector. . . trashes a forty-one million dollar Picasso. Mr. Carlson,
you are on the cutting edge of inconsistency.'" (Page 24)

There is no question that Mace Carlson did the shocking crime. The hard part is the why. Also hard is the fact that in this review, it really isn't possible to say what the crime was without blowing the book. Even though, for the reader, the crime happens early on, to know in advance the specifics of the crime would remove some of the shock value. Suffice it to say that the crime is intense and no humans or animals were hurt by it.

Emotions are something else entirely. Mace's action propels him into a prolonged stay at the Rothko Suite of the New York Police Department's Art Crime Unit. With much of his time spent in solitary confinement, he has a lot of time to contemplate his action. He also has plenty of time to contemplate how his action has affected others including the son of his former lover. His case provides the fodder for a media firestorm as his action becomes a polarizing statement for both sides in the art world.

Part satire, part crime novel, the resulting read is a mesmerizing book that pulls readers along at a frantic pace. Occasionally, very graphic in terms of language, this is a novel that considers the current art world and finds things less than satisfactory. Rich in depth and character, the novel works on all levels and as a result is a very good read I wish I had read sooner.


Kevin R. Tipple (copyright) 2006

Mace Caslon seemed to have it all. He had been a brilliant student with a full scholarship to Williams College, graduated top fifth from Yale Law School and now he is a full partner in one of the most respected law firms on Wall Street and a serious collector of contemporary art. Yet one day he walks into the Metropolitan Museum of Art and throws acid on Universal Woman, a Picasso painting which just sold for forty-one million dollars. The question is why? This is something everyone wants to know. His act puts him in the middle of a media crazed frenzy. Everyone has something to say including television personalities, artists, museum officials, collectors, dealers, lawyers, a U.S. attorney looking to enter the Senate, psychiatrists, ex-lovers and anti-art demonstrators. Everyone wants their time in the spotlight...everyone wants to know why.

Artrage is not a mystery of who-done-it but why-done-it. Thru an in depth character study Aison takes a close look at our society and it's fascination with so called "celebrities" and their fifteen minutes of fame. He lampoons the art world, art connoisseurs, the media and our society's remote control personality which cause us to latch onto whoever is in the spotlight at the moment and forget about it seconds later when the next "celebrity" comes along. Aison has created a fascinating novel filled with interesting characters and a thought provoking storyline that will leave you thinking about it long after you finish reading it.

Each person in my book club found this book intensely interesting. The story activated a very lively conversation. The book reads like a screenplay and we all found it hard to put down.

I opened "Artrage" and very soon found myself hooked. Here's a combined realistic portrait, caricature, and merry send-up of the whole current Manhattan culture mix. I kept seeing one icon after another, most with pie in their faces or on their behinds,, but also a number of individuals ---- Mace, Margo, Nick (especially) ---- who are sympathetically drawn and who, at times, touch the heart. That's quite a feat, and it provides some fine hours and good lingering thoughts to ponder.