Vera & Linus [Paperback]

Jesse Ball; Thordis Bjornsdottir (Author), Jesse Ball (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2006

The Disastrous Tale of Vera and Linus is a book of short tales describing the love affair between the two eponymous characters. They are tricksters and subverters, and they roam through the book, as free in their lives as in the pages. The writing is lyrical and passionate, but also cunning and careful. In certain tales Vera triumphs over Linus, in others, Linus triumphs over Vera, though more common still, are tales in which they, together, triumph over their enemies.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In this unusual collection of what are arguably prose poems, sketches or pieces of flash fiction, husband and wife Ball (March Book, 2004) and Björnsdottir introduce a charming yet gruesome pair of protagonists: Vera and Linus. They are childlike, living in a world where giving presents and playing are top priority, but they are also devoted lovers and perhaps siblings. Their twisted fairy tale world is as magical as it is disturbing: in it, a treasure chest opens up to reveal an entire lake inside, and children and animals are tortured for the protagonists' amusement. Episodes of violence ("Vera and Linus broke the dog's neck and put the body into a brown canvas bag which they tied neatly with great satisfaction") are often sewn seamlessly into scenes of fanciful beauty: "...their sorrows were carried away... to the court of the sea-king, and dined on there to much acclaim...." The light touch and often archaic feel of the prose owes as much to Kafka as to classic fairy tales. Certainly many readers will find this book unsettling, but most will also find it hard not to remember a time when the world was filled with this kind of fearful mystery and wonder, though hopefully not this kind of violence. (Oct.)
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Review

"Elegantly Brutal" --Reykjavik Mag

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Product Details

• Paperback: 234 pages
• Publisher: Nyhil; 1st edition (September 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 9979971568
• ISBN-13: 978-9979971566
• Product Dimensions: 6.2 x 4.2 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #512,456 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jesse Ball is the author of numerous prize winning works of fiction and poetry. 2011 will bring a novel, The Curfew, from Vintage, and a collected verse/prose omnibus, The Village on Horseback, from Milkweed Editions. He lives in Chicago.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It's like early Borges with even more knives and a lot more midgets, October 24, 2006

By 

Jesse Stiles - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Vera & Linus (Paperback)

Ball and Bjornsdottir have made a hell of a thing. The book is written using a vague and methodical exquisite corpse technique which heightens the surrealism that is deeply imbedded in the core of this fine book. The "plot" (if you you want to call it that) of this thing centers around a beautiful, deranged, and extremely murderous pair of lovers who engage in all manner of butchery, carnage, torture, and unwilling bodily modifications in a strange and serene place. At one point in the book one of the authors (either Ball or Bjornsdottir, it's hard to tell without referring back to the decoder ring they invent in the book's preamble) break the fourth wall of the novel so as to threaten you, the reader, with the act of getting your face cut up with a razor.

The book is written with a highly effective brick-in-your-face style reminiscent of Borges' early short stories about cowboys and knife fights.

Highly recommended!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful from inside to out, October 10, 2006

By 

Ethan L. Schreiber "Ethan Schreiber" (New York, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Vera & Linus (Paperback)

Before I began reading Vera & Linus, I was struck by the physical beauty of the book. The pages are extra thick with a nice rough feel. The edges are roughly cut. It is as if my book was hand made with care. In today's age of mass produced books, it is easy to forget that the book itself can be as much a piece of art as the words inside.

The story continues in the tradition of Mr. Ball's first publication, the March Book in that it uses vibrant language to describe a world that we can't quite be sure is real or in the imagination of the author.

The passages in the book are beautifully descriptive while often describing very painful scenes. I am reminded of one of my favorite stories, Patriotism by Yukio Mishima where the author descripes Seppuku in the most romantic of terms. I am so taken in by Mr. Ball's world that it is hard to remember if the author is speaking of the evil of the world or the most beautiful that life has to offer. In the end, I believe that we are to know that such a dichotemy does not exist.