Customer Reviews

Wakenight Emporium

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My first contact with A.B. West occurred about a year ago during a reading by Fiction Collective 2 authors at Quimby's Bookstore in Chicago. Brian Evanson read from his recent collection, "The Wavering Knife," and Lucy Corin read from her book, "Everyday Psycho Killers." It was A.B. West's reading of her "Wakenight Emporium" that had the greatest impact on me by far.

Fresh off a plane from Belgium, West's tall thin frame glided up to the podium. She seemed to be dazed or in some half-dream state. She began her reading by apologizing for her English speaking abilities which were, she explained, a bit rusty from lack of use. This seemed all the more astonishing once I discovered her skill as a writer in English. She began to read from the first section of her book where we learn about the peculiar aspects of Martian foreplay.

It is probably safest to call this work a collection of meditations because each small "chapter" seems to tread the line between prose and poetry. There are, at times, characters and scenes, but, more often, we get cosmic theories explained through sharp, charming wordplay. There is no proper plot but instead a set of emotional and intellectual motives that draw the work together as a whole.

If you are at all interested in this book I highly suggest you visit the Fiction Collective 2 website (fc2.org) and read an excerpt (since one is not currently available here). This is the first book I have felt passionate about recommending to people for quite some time.