- Hardcover: 312 pages
- Publisher: HarperCollins (Feb 1979)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0060131969
- ISBN-13: 978-0060131968
- Product Dimensions: 20.8 x 14.4 x 3.2 cm
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 2,173,835 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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More About the Author
Product Description
Review
Craig Nova's novels deserve to be ranked among the best American fiction of the past two decades ... the more he writes, the better he gets. --The Washington Post
--This text refers to the
Paperback
edition.
Product Description
Stargell had it all. A prestigious job at a think tank. A beautiful Greek wife. Money enough to indulge his expensive tastes. Then one day he lost his job for using the think tank s computer to play the horses and his life started taking a very definite turn for the worse. Suddenly he s broke, his wife s going crazy, and a very determined Lower East Side loan shark has his number. In the midst of all this danger and chaos, however, the resilient and darkly comic Stargell pushes his limits, playing it by ear. For Stargell is sustained by those rare moments of redeeming grace when every experience feels vital and valuable, when even the darkest moments and the most soiled landscapes seem to glow with a burning incandescence.
--This text refers to the
Paperback
edition.
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1 review
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Classic early Nova
4 April 2000
Format:Paperback
Craig Nova has a definite style, a gritty yet humorous storytelling gift that gives him the ability to flesh out amazingly believeable real -life characters, and to accurately portray the compromising situations they sometimes find themselves entangled in. "Incandescence" is a fine example of this author's classic early style, and although it isn't all plain sailing, it comes so close.
Nova takes us on a journey of desperate yet likeable proportions with Stargell, a still-young ex inventor living on a shoestring with his skittish greek wife. Driving a Taxi to make a living, Stargell's existence is quickly becoming meaningless, and he knows it. Things aren't what they used to be, and the only pleasure Stargell attains from his current situation is the incandescent feeling he gets when he is on the subway in a fast train, or driving over the speed limit in his cab, almost as if he needs a feeling of risk in his life to keep him alive. This is probably why he borrows money that he can't pay back from a loan shark to entertain his wife's father who flys in to visit, and has to resort to criminal activity to be able to afford to settle his bill.Along the journey there are several hilariously dangerous moments, yet there is a poignant side to Stargell, a genuine caring and a particular love for his dying father, on the other side of the country in Los Angeles.
Nova's great way of drawing the reader into the character's minds is a winning feature of this novel. Great and not-so -great minds clash throughout, from the delightful Enid, Stargell's unstable wife, along to Ari, her father who has come from Greece to look for a "product" that he can take back and introduce. Brief encounters with a nerdish driving instructor and a car rental agent are also twisted and doused with tragic humour, but Stargell's gorilla suit tryout at the carnival is the book's most complete scene by a long shot.
Above everything is Stargell's seemingly relaxed attitude to being on the run. He's impossible to dislike however, particularly during the scenes where he shows hid true compassion, like with his father, and also in dealing with the death of someone he hardly knew. From the dark and cold spots where he sometimes sleeps, to his masquerade as a limo driver for the mad product-crazy Ari, we are on Stargell's side.
Perhaps the book does start to peter out towards the end, where our main character is homeless and wandering, but Nova can easily be forgiven for what he has already accompolished during the story. By the end all questions are answered regardless.
"Incandescence" is a thoroughly enjoyable read and a great introduction to Craig Nova's work. Although difficult to find these days, it is worth seeking out for the characters and straightforward style alone.
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