James Hynes -- one of the most mordantly funny and original writers today -- is not widely known, and more's the pity. In NEXT, arguably his finest novel, he masterfully captures the post 9/11 world through the prism of an anti-hero in the midst of a midlife crisis.
Kevin Quinn, a liberal and self-absorbed Ann Arbor editor who is a classic textbook case of arrested development, lands in Austin, Texas to interview for a new job. Against the backdrop of a world that's still quaking from the terror assaults, his own life is shaky: his job is stullifying, his much younger girlfriend is clamoring for a baby, and he's been told that he "lacks tenderness and passion." The vast portion of the story takes place in just four-and-a-half hours. It's a feat that Ian McEwan was able to master in his novel SATURDAY; but it's challenging for most writers to sustain interest in such a tight timeframe. James Hynes succeeds.
The city of Austin itself comes alive under the pen of Mr. Hynes; even those who have never visited will wither in the hot Texas sun, and feel the energy of the coffee shops, Mexican restaurants, health food stores, running paths and more. With hours to go before the interview, Kevin Quinn spends an unremarkable day, rather creepily following the beautiful younger Asian-American girl he sat next on the plane whom he sees as his last hope of redemption, reminiscing about his carnal relationships with ex-girlfriends, wandering in and out of stores, and admiring the incredible looks and stamina of the Austin women. His life seems vaguely pathetic; there is no woman whom he doesn't obsess about and his wandering appears aimless as he waits to interview for a job he doesn't really want in a city he doesn't want to live in. Austin feels "foreign" to him, one more example of a man who is out of place in life.
Toward the end of the first part, he experiences a relatively minor fall -- tripped by a dog on an Austin bridge -- a harbinger for a much greater fall later on. He's "saved" by a Latina surgeon, who quite literally doctors to his injury, and, in ways he never did with younger girlfriend, he becomes reflective with her and with himself. Upon parting from her, he wonders: "What would I be willing to die for -- anything? Who would I be willing to die for? That's what passion does -- passion makes you stupid, passion loses you and then throws you away."
Much has been made already about the last 50 pages of this book -- Part 3 -- where there's a major shift in the plot and tone and where all Kevin's musings begin to form a cohesive shape. Each reader must experience the ending for herself or himself, but suffice to say, it WILL grab you into its vortex and shake you up. It's a true example of what fine writing can do. Ultimately, Mr. Hynes suggests that it's possible to get out of self-involvement, embrace one's passion and confront what's next...and sometimes, to obtain the flash of insight to welcome it.
