James Meek, We Are Now Beginning Our Descent
Wednesday, April 30th, 2008
In this podcast, we’ll talk to novelist James Meek about his new book, We Are Now
Beginning Out Descent, a most unusual story about a 30-something war correspondent who finds himself at a philosophical crossroads.
On one hand, he wants to write a sensational thriller and make sacks of cash. On the other, he desperately wants to create a book of genuine worth and meaning. He’s searching for true, lasting love, while at the same time, he’s convinced that it likely doesn’t exist. And while all this is going on, Meek takes us to the battlefields of the middle east, for an unflinching look at the horrors of modern war.
Buy We Are Now Beginning Our Descent
many of us will know from The Talented Mr. Ripley, and Pirates of the Caribbean, reading from Steven Hall’s debut novel, The Raw Shark Texts. The Raw Shark Texts takes us into the life of Eric Sanderson, a young man who wakes up one day, and has absolutely no idea of who he is or where he came from. While Eric stumbles around trying to piece together his life, he starts receiving messages from his former self. The old Eric, warns the new Eric, that he ’s being relentlessly pursued by a Word Shark, a terrifying creature that exists in the flows and streams of language, as well as human interaction.
treat for you. Noted Canadian Arts Journalist Laurie Brown, the host of CBC Radio Two’s The Signal, reads from award winning author Barbara Gowdy’s latest novel, Helpless.
time, we’ll be listening to the beginning of Heather O’Neill’s debut novel, Lullabies for Little Criminals. This book was a finalist for the Governor General’s Award, as well as winning CBC Radio’s prestigious Canada Reads. It’s no wonder all of Canada was reading it. It follows the life of Baby, a young girl living on the mean streets of Montreal, with no mother, and a junkie drifter for a father. Once she turns 13, Baby attracts the eye of Alphonse, the neighbourhood pimp, who senses a good opportunity. O’Neill uses the first person point of view, so we can watch as a young girl, on the cusp of adulthood, navigates life in a dangerous urban jungle. Baby continually reinvents herself, to maintain a sense of innocence, and this requires resilience, and the incredible power of imagination.
about her latest epic, Mistress of the Sun. This richly detailed story follows the life of Petite, a high spirited, but intensely devout young girl, who is placed into the service of the French court. Things take a turn when Petite meets, and falls instantly in love, with Louis XIV.