Everything Hits At Once

It just occurred to me today, I think, that when it comes to reading books, the subject has more to do with whether or not I'll like the book than the author does. This may be totally normal, but I'm not sure. It seems to me that many people like authors, and if they like one book by a certain guy or lass, then they tend to like them all. After all, there are many "Stephen King fans" or 'Chuck Palahniuk fans." For years I've always considered myself a Hemingway fan, but, really, I just love A Farewell to Arms.

I just finished reading (in less than 48 hours) The Mysteries or Pittsburgh by Michael Chabon. And I thought it was magnificent. It's about a lost summer the year after the protagonist finishes college where he makes a few strange friends and gets involved in a love triangle. Again, it was magnificent. Chabon is a supremely talented writer, but I thought this was his best book, despite the fact that many people prefer Wonder Boys and The Adventures of Kavalier and Clay won the Pulitzer prize. This book, thematically, reminded me of The Virgin Suicides, in that it was a nostalgic look back at a mysterious, lost youth.

So that got me to thinking, and I've decided that maybe I only REALLY love books (for the most part) that follow that theme. I loved The Virgin Suicides. I loved The Last Picture Show, and that's along the same lines--depressed, young people trying to make sense of their lives, and several other Larry McMurtry books that I enjoyed (Horseman, Pass By and Leaving Cheyenne, for example) follow that same theme. And it stands to reason that all of these books owe something to F. Scott Fitzgerald, because isn't The Great Gatsby the original, 20th century guide to life being a little fucked up and mysterious?

Even lighter books that I enjoy, like those by Nick Hornby, seem to fall into that category, and my favorite all-time adventure type book, Shogun, is about a stranger in a strange land who's just trying to make sense of it all.

So it stands to reason that I've been going about things wrong for years. Instead of getting into an author, reading all his books, and then ultimately thinking he lost it at some point, maybe I should just look for books that follow themes that appeal to me. Of course, I don't know why any of this comes as a surprise, because years ago I realized that my favorite ever movies (like Lost in Translation or Rushmore) share these same themes.