RaveThe RumpusWhile Davis defies genre in Duplex by crossing through several types—literary fiction, magical realism, fantasy, sci-fi, horror (to name a few)—many elements of the novel stay true to a fairy tale ... Though her approach is gradual, Davis makes clear right from the start: This is no ordinary world, and this will not be an ordinary story ... Part of the genius of Duplex is that Davis doesn’t push any alternate agenda. A wide range of interpretations feels welcome, and at the heart of the book is the lifelong story of Mary and Eddie, told with care and in beautiful sentences. A reader must work hard both to perceive a larger meaning from page-to-page and to understand what’s happening on the level of plot, character, and setting (e.g., is it 1950 or is it a robot future?). Questions inevitably pop up ... The answers to these questions aren’t in the pages of this brilliant novel, and we don’t read to find out; we read because Davis has created a world with language unlike any other, and also like our own.
Ben Fountain
RaveThe RumpusBilly and the seven other men in his squadron, dubbed ‘Bravo’ by the media, are spending the last day of a two-week long victory tour … The Bravos are the first to perceive the victory tour as a thinly veiled PR stunt to garner support for a war that’s going terribly. Shipped from Iraq to the States with less than two hours notice, they are shuttled across the country, to malls and convention centers, with just twenty-four heartbreaking hours with their families. Bright-eyed, patriotic fans approach Bravo for autographs, thank them for their service, and talk to them about ‘democracy, development, dubya em dees’ … Within the framework of this tightly structured book, Fountain includes a sprawling amount of drama and emotion.
