|
Moody
has made a career of producing stylistically unpredictable
literature. Readers who love the suburban drama of The
Ice Storm may have been put off by the darkly comedic
Purple America. Fans of the short story collections
Demonology and The Ring of Brightest Angels Around
Heaven seem to universally disdain the hyper-detailed
epic The Diviners.
However,
there are two themes that are consistent throughout Moody's
oeuvre: work and suburban life. Right Livelihoods: 3 Novellas
is no different in that respect. The first two novellas "Omega
Force" and "K&K;" both take place in northeastern suburbs,
and, as the title suggests, all of the stories are moved along
by the characters' chosen professions. But just like the others
that came before, Right Livelihoods differs from what
precedes it.
The concept
of right livelihood originates from Buddhism's Noble Eightfold
Paths. Right livelihood brings benefits to oneself and others;
wrong livelihood is detrimental to all. Teachers, store clerks—anyone
who aids and assists others—are pursuing right livelihoods.
All the protagonists in Rick Moody's Right Livelihoods probably
believe they're following the path, but their judgment may
be muddled—they're all teetering on the brink of insanity.
"The
Omega Force" begins with retired civil servant Dr. Jamie Van
Doren asleep on a neighbor's porch, where he finds a potboiler
novel called Omega Force: Code White. As Van Doren
falls off the wagon and deals with a recent "neurological
event," the characters and events of Omega Force: Code
White begin to infiltrate Van Doren's reality. This first-person
story is structured like a memo from the Federal Emergency
Management Agency, with headings like "1. The Current National
Security Environment" and "7. Modernism and Its Links to Contemporary
Terror." Van Doren's paranoia about an impending invasion
is almost Pynchonian; as the story progresses and as readers
find out more about Van Doren's life, they begin to feel sad
for this deluded retiree.
Ellie
Knight-Cameron, in "K&K;," is trying to avoid thinking too
much about her life, and focuses on everything else. As the
office manager, it is her job to oversee the suggestion box
at the small insurance office where she makes her living.
When the suggestions start becoming odd, and eventually threatening,
Ellie is propelled into a mystery that will reveal more than
who is leaving these typewritten notes. In typical Moody fashion,
small details convey a lot of information, such as "Ellie
had ridiculously strong feelings for her vacuum cleaner… Her
enthusiasm about vacuuming depressed her, though if you are
going to be depressed about your enthusiasm, you should have
a reliable vacuum cleaner as a consolation prize." With his
skillful approach, readers never feel as if Moody is bogging
them down with unnecessary details.
Ellie's
discomfort with self-reflection is what prevents her from
discovering the culprit sooner. There are many references
to transformation and insects, like when Ellie recalls her
high school boyfriend, Eric Banks, who tells her that listening
to experimental music males him feel like "he was shedding
his papery skin, his uncomfortable exterior," or when new
hire, preppy boy Chris Grady, snickers and sounds "like a
cicada." This foreshadows what we hope will happen to cocoon-wrapped
Ellie, as alien forces invade the office, initiating this
transformation. The story ends on a rather odd note that may
leave readers feeling unsatisfied.
All the
stories in Right Livelihoods examine the porous borders
that exist between sanity and insanity, reality and fantasy.
And no story in the collection presents this more effectively
than the final story in the collection, "The Albertine Notes."
A piece of genre fiction, "The Albertine Notes" begins shortly
after a large chunk of Manhattan has been destroyed by a dirty
bomb. Writer Kevin Lee has secured an assignment from one
of the few remaining publications to trace the origins of
a new drug called Albertine that allows the user to relive
the best moments of his life. Equal parts Philip K. Dick,
Raymond Chandler, and Charlie Kaufman, "The Albertine Notes,"
is a trippy, mind-blowing story where the reader ceases to
know what's real and what's imagined.
As Kevin
researches further, key characters morph into other people,
and past events change in incremental ways. More so than in
previous Moody books and stories, he uses evocative names
to telegraph character traits. Cassandra is a beautiful prostitute
who, like a mythological prophet, seems to know a lot about
the drug, as well as about Kevin; Cortez is the name of the
dealer who controls Albertine's distribution and conquers
the memories of the Albertine addicts; Serena is the name
of a girl with whom Kevin spent a memorable afternoon. "The
history of Albertine became a history of forgetting," Kevin
tells us. This story twists and slithers in an enchanting
fashion, drawing the reader further into the story. It is
easy to get lost in "The Albertine Notes" both figuratively
and literally—portions may need to be reread in order
to discern real from imagined.
All in
all, Right Livelihoods is a noble addition to the Moody
bibliography. With so many different genres represented, it
may actually satisfy a majority of his fans.
(June,
2007)
|
