I like my fiction like I like my work ...
Love copy editors so much that they must part of your pleasure reading, too?
The namesake character in the new "Veronica," Mary Gaitskill's second novel, is a copy editor -- an "unbeautiful copy editor" acting as foil to the "beautiful model" who serves as the protagonist.
From Veronica, we get such lines as "Excuse me, hon, but I'm very well acquainted with Jimmy Joyce and the use of the semicolon."
But beware. After reading this review, I don't think things turn out so well for the "abrasive, hideously dressed, Judy Garland-loving Veronica."
The book had been considered a front-runner for the 2005 National Book Award in fiction, which was given to William T. Vollmann last night instead.
Gaitskill also wrote the short story on which the excellent movie "Secretary" is based.
posted by Nicole @ 1:00 PM
4 comments
4 Comments:
Do you do much fiction reading at all?
Hard to imagine anything turning out terribly well for a copy editor. My guess is the protagonist spends most of the novel working overtime, surfing McSweeney's, posting snarky comments on Blanchard's site, and (Notice the hideous serial comma, folks -- I'm at the Globe now, and that's how we roll.) going to the liquor store.
Or maybe I'm off-base.
Another book involving copy editors, an obituary writer, murder, gluttony, the mob, cults and an amazing transformation is St. Burl's Obituary.
Is there some special reason that all fictionalized copy editors are "unbeautiful," and "hideously dressed?"
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