The Inner Circle - T.C. Boyle
by Zia ~ February 28th, 2007. Filed under: Books.
Once upon a time, I remember really, really liking T.C. Boyle. I devoured The Road to Wellville, Riven Rock, The Tortilla Curtain, and various books of shorts. His writing is so effortless, and he has a unique ability to capture the truly bizarre. But I lost patience with Drop City a chapter in–and while I finished The Inner Circle, I wonder if I’ve outgrown my T.C. Boyle phase or whether his more recent novels have lost their spark.
The Inner Circle is about Kinsey and his sex studies. The protaganist is one John Milk, who tells the story of his involvement with Kinsey as a researcher. He’s recruited while still in college, gets married, conducts research, and basically screws pretty much everything until the lackluster end. The thing is, sex sells and T.C. Boyle is cashing in. And now that I think of it, he’s always cashed in. His writing is as effortless as ever, but I finished the novel with a strong sense of disappointment.
March 1st, 2007 at 3:10 pm
I enjoyed Drop City. I also like TCB’s short stories, Tortilla Curtain and Friend of the Earth. But he can be…unrelenting.
The subject matter of this one didn’t enthrall me; I may just avoid it altogether.
Maybe reading Boyle is like eating oysters. You gotta be in the mood, and the quality has to be top-notch.