Martin Sloane: A Novel - Softcover

Redhill, Michael

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0316739367 ISBN 13: 9780316739368

Publisher: Back Bay Books, 2002

Synopsis

The story of a relationship across two decades, of Jolene's search for Martin Sloane when one day he disappears from their home without warning or explanation, is told in a novel that brilliantly and movingly explores the vagaries of love and friendship, the burdens of personal history, and the enigmatic power of art.

About this title

About the Author

Michael Redhill is the managing editor of the literary journal Brick. He has also worked as editor, ghostwriter, anthologist, scriptwriter, and in leaner times, waiter, house painter, and book seller. Martin Sloane is his first novel. He lives in Toronto.

Reviews

Martin Sloane, the protagonist of Redhill's elegant debut, is an Irish-born Canadian who makes dioramas from "found objects." Among these chanced-upon entities is the book's narrator herself, Jolene Iolas, a Bard undergrad who happens upon Martin's work and falls in love with the artist. Their affair lasts several years, until one day Martin purposefully and inexplicably vanishes. Achingly sweet in its execution, the novel explores what it means to love, as we follow a dual narrative: Jolene's attempt to recover after Martin disappears, and Martin's own childhood memories of Ireland, as retold by Jolene. "It's not really safe to love other people, is it?" asks Jolene's former college roommate Molly, in Ireland years later to help Jolene track Martin down. Redhill's book reminds us that love can be half imaginary. even Jolene's recollections of Martin's childhood must pass through the lens of Martin's inventiveness: one story that Martin tells Jolene and Molly is proven a lovely fabrication. Then, too, our sense of love is shaped by our own desire. In a surprise ending, Jolene visits someone who asks for information about Martin, to which Jolene responds: "Whatever I tell you about him will just end up being about myself." A memorable and satisfying read, Redhill's book leaves the reader with a child's sense of nostalgia and a sympathy for the impasses of adulthood.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

(*Starred Review*) Martin Sloane is an Irish-Canadian artist haunted by his past, who retells his stories (both true and embellished) by creating magical boxes and dioramas. Jolene Iolas, a typically lost college freshman, first falls in love with the art and then with the older man behind them. They begin a passionate, 10-year affair that follows the heightening of both of their careers, and ends abruptly when Martin suddenly vanishes in the middle of the night after a strange visit from Jolene's college roommate. Jolene mourns, sinking in and out of depression, as she tries to reassemble the scraps of her life, and she tries to love again, still wondering what happened to Martin, questioning herself, feeding her guilt, and still, after all this time, searching for him. When a trace of him appears years later, she is forced to confront her loss directly all over again. Redhill presents a remarkable first novel--his powerful language and mastery of character are thrilling, and the plot, though it sometimes threatens to, never becomes cliche or predictable. A fantastic exploration into the guises and complexities of art, love, and memory. Michael Spinella
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Edition details

• Publisher: Back Bay Books
• Publication date: 2002
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0316739367
• ISBN 13: 9780316739368
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 282