“Memorial: A Novel” (Bruce Wagner)
I first stumbled upon Bruce Wagner’s Force Majeure shortly after moving to Los Angeles in the early nineties. Bruce Wagner excels at being both intriguing and disturbing. During all the drama and pathos he manages to be one of the funniest writers around. I have read almost all of his books, all of which lean heavily towards a facsimile of life in hollywood as seen through the eyes of one who lives there. His novels are chock-o-block with pop culture references and arcane wisdom. His recent novels, like The Chrysanthemum Palace and Still Holding have seen limits of the Hollywood as Hollywood novel. Fortunately Mr. Wagner has enough insight into his work to realize this.
Memorial: A Novel, his latest effort, is a crazy epic novel of Hollywood. It is equal parts Nathaniel West, Harry Crews,and Carlos Castenada. His sendup of the celebrity architect scene is knowing, scathing, and irreverent. Having developed the ‘inside Hollywood’ novel over the last decade, Wagner finally changes his perspective to another class of denizen in the city of angels.
I read this book over the holidays last year and it was a sheer pleasure to read. If you are looking for a fresh voice and a new read, look no further.
