Based on A.M. Holmes' assessment of Molly Ringwald's first novel, When It Happens To You, Molly Ringwald is a writer, and this is what Salon via Holmes declared on August 24: One of 2012's most dazzling debut novels comes from an actress we all think we know.
Please don't clump me in your "all." I don't know Molly Ringwald. I remember her movies from the 80s, but I don't know her. And dazzling? That makes me want to read her novel, and I'm planning on it, especially after what Holmes says:
"Her stories deftly capture the confusion and heartbreak of betrayal, the power of family secrets, and the struggle to find and maintain both autonomy and intimacy within a marriage."
And
"I was especially impressed with her story telling style-- the stories echo a bit of Raymond Carver, Amy Hempel and Lorrie Moore. Ringwald also pulls off a very cool technical feat-- the stories progress in the spaces between the stories-- there is an invisible gathering of momentum and you feel things are happening even when on one is watching. With this auspicious fiction debut you might actually forget Ringwald's also a film icon."
Though I don't know Ringwald, I might find it difficult to forget she's a film icon
Nonetheless
Holmes' review intrigues me mainly because it's a vastly different opinion from Dan Kois' opinion of When It Happens To You in the NYT the other day and the subsequent writing lesson I derived from his review-- which I blogged about here. To be continued...
Update on January 12, 2013: I attempted to read When It Happens to You and failed. I could only make it through a couple chapters. Too much telling and the conflicts weren't interesting. And I was able to guess correctly what would happen next. Oh well.
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