This week I am responding to, writing down my ruminations about, David Madden’s Abducted by Circumstance.
This is an interesting and riveting novel for several reasons, which simultaneously make it challenging to read. The first is Madden’s ability to construct vivid, descriptive, non-abstract, but complex sentences. This method is important because it allows the reader to become immersed in the cold and exciting world of Alexandria Bay, and upstate New York, that Madden wants to illustrate. However, for students of language and grammar aficionados, this can be frustrating as they (I) try to divide the sentences into discrete grammatical entities. To put it finely, it is hard for me to take off my “grammar-Nazi” hat and simply enjoy the (sometimes fast-paced) motif that Madden creates.
The second innovation in this novel is the experimentation with time, space, and dialogue. Madden breaks time/space conventions by creating a character (Carol) that engages a dialogue with another woman (Glenda), who is never truly encountered by the reader. Carol talks with, and subsequently describes, Glenda’s setting, while far away from the exact location. The latter combined with Madden’s placement of interior dialogues (that is, Carol’s mental fantasies, or should I say, creations) next to real (exterior) conversation is truly fantastic, but creates a challenging terrain to traverse as I enter the world Madden has (is) creating.
These techniques will be useful in my writing, as I practice creating captivating fiction, and experiment with memoir techniques.
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