If They Sold Out
Camille Scaysbrook (verona_beach@hotpop.com)
Sat, 06 Nov 1999 20:04:52 +1100
I was browsing in a discount book shop today (after casting my vote for
Australia's future - republic, republic, republic all the way!) and I came
across a book called `If They Sold Out' by Joely Green. The gimmick (sort
of like those `politically correct fairytale' books of a few years ago) was
if famous writers had sold out and written advertising copy instead. There
was every writer you could think of in there, from Vonnegut to Shakespeare
- but the first story `written in the style of J.D. Salinger' was called
`The Catcher in American Express'. There followed a story three or four
pages long in very credible Holdenspeak. The gist of it was that Holden was
in a New York night club but couldn't catch any of the waiters' attention.
He was upset that no one knew who he was, he wanted to bellow his own name
off the clifftops. That is, until he flashed his American Express card.
`Don't leave your goddamn home without it. I mean it.' Now, this is the
sort of thing that could have come out just awfully, but the author
actually did what I thought was a very commenable job, and he showed a
clear understanding of the book's themes and parlance. For $3.95 I should
have bought it, but I didn't have any change on me. Anyone else read it?
A Salingery day all round, I encountered `My Foolish Heart' on video for
$9.95 and a book named `Girl' described on the back as `A Catcher in the
Rye' for the grunge generation. One qualification that would make sure I
*wouldn't* read it, unfortunately.
Camille
verona_beach@hotpop.com