I needed something to read, so I took a chance on an obscure paperback packed among others in a shoe box for display at the floating book shop. I hoped
Between Pictures by Jayne Loader, copyright 1987, would offer light entertainment to get me through the final stages of getting
Present and Past to market. It is not light but extremely dark, a first person account of a successful thirtyish screenwriter of humble southern origins living in the fast lane. She has almost as much sex as a porn queen and drinks and does as much drugs as a rock star. Her life comes off the rails when her writing partner, a former lover, goes out on his own. This is a warts and all portrait. Many of the actions are hardcore. She has one major saving grace, she loves her momma, who loves her in turn. There is not much plot, simply a downward spiral, and no closure, just an open end, which makes sense because the woman has done so much damage to herself it's debatable she will ever recover fully. Although I looked forward to returning to it each time I put it aside, I can't say I enjoyed it, perhaps because it was hard to relate to almost all the characters. I've never been promiscuous, although for many years I longed to be, and I've always had resistance to the allure of drugs. One thing is certain about
Between Pictures, it is as well-written as anything I've ever read. Although I wouldn't say it is profound, it has many insights into the human condition. Here's one: "We loathe each others boyfriends, perceptive for others if not for ourselves." Loader, born in 1951, also demonstrates biting wit. In describing a foreigner, the protagonist inwardly muses: "... puts the germ back in Germany." To my surprise, this extraordinary word-smith has had only one other book published, a short story collection. According to her page at Wiki, she has written articles on film and culture. She co-directed
The Atomic Cafe (1982), a documentary about U.S. propaganda on nuclear war, and appeared on
Late Night with David Letterman the year the film came out. She and her husband ran a residence hall at Harvard for a number of years. These days she has homes in Maine and California. Only two readers at Amazon have rated
Between Pictures, one gave it the max, the other the lowest score on a scale of five. I will go in between. Anyone squeamish about sordidness should pass. Anyone who enjoys it should get a copy. I have to laugh, as one of my concerns about
Present and Past is that it goes too far. Compared to
Between Pictures, it is PG-13.
A blurb in the
NY Post's
Fast Takes column ends: "... curriculum supervisors nationwide, either "by law or partiality" are refusing to "consider volumes unless they align with multicultural preferences." Political correctness rules public education.
The floating book shop was rained out today. At least it's not snow.
