Skip to main content

The Picture Book That I Hate

 Chris Van Dusen is an overrated writer, and one of his recent books highlights some of his problems.


"Big Truck, Little Island" was labeled a standout book of 2022--but the critic must have been brain-dead. This book is inane and patronizing. Here's what happens. A truck travels to Maine, but it attempts an awkward turn, and it gets wedged between rocks; it's wedged in the middle of a narrow road. People need to get past to attend their trumpet lessons, cake tasting sessions, etc. That's the crisis.

In the resolution, people trade cars. If I'm on the north portion of the road, and I need to be south, I borrow your car; in turn, you take mine so you can reach your swim meet on the north side of town. The End. 

It's startling to me that no editor pointed out the obvious; there is no real conflict, there is nothing at stake, and there are no characters. I believe Van Dusen has persuaded himself that he is telling a bold tale about altruism, but there isn't altruism in these pages. The people of Maine take a "scratch my back, and I'll scratch yours" approach. This is also the lesson of Mama Morton, in "Chicago," and Mama Morton is not a hero.

People shell out for Van Dusen's "Circus Ship"--and that book is just as facile, predictable, and disrespectful to children. If no one tells Van Dusen the truth....his work can't get any better.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

How to Host a Baby

-You have assumed responsibility for a mewling, puking ball of life, a yellow-lab pup. He will spit his half-digested kibble all over your shoes, all over your hard-cover edition of Jennifer Haigh's novel  Faith . He will eat your tables, your chairs, your "I {Heart] Montessori" magnet, placed too low on the fridge. When you try to watch Bette Davis in  Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte , on your TV, your dog will bark through the murder-prologue, for no apparent reason. He will whimper through Lena Dunham's  Girls , such that you have to rewind several times to catch every nuance of Andrew Rannells's ad-libbing--and, still, you'll have a nagging suspicion you've missed something. Your dog will poop on the kitchen floor, in the hallway, between the tiny bars of his crate. He'll announce his wakefulness at 5 AM, 2 AM, or while you and another human are mid-coitus. All this, and you get outside, and it's: "Don't let him pee on my tulips!" When...
3 comments
Read more

Raymond Carver: "What's in Alaska?"

Outside, Mary held Jack's arm and walked with her head down. They moved slowly on the sidewalk. He listened to the scuffing sounds her shoes made. He heard the sharp and separate sound of a dog barking and above that a murmuring of very distant traffic.  She raised her head. "When we get home, Jack, I want to be fucked, talked to, diverted. Divert me, Jack. I need to be diverted tonight." She tightened her hold on his arm. He could feel the dampness in that shoe. He unlocked the door and flipped the light. "Come to bed," she said. "I'm coming," he said. He went to the kitchen and drank two glasses of water. He turned off the living-room light and felt his way along the wall into the bedroom. "Jack!" she yelled. "Jack!" "Jesus Christ, it's me!" he said. "I'm trying to get the light on." He found the lamp, and she sat up in bed. Her eyes were bright. He pulled the stem on the alarm and b...
1 comment
Read more

My Favorite Pop Song

  One thing I admire about Prince is his weirdly pretentious verses: Dream, if you can, a courtyard-- An ocean of violets in bloom. Also: Touch, if you will, my stomach. Feel how it trembles inside. No one else writes like this. Did people try to shoot down these choices? Did a producer say, "We'd like to rethink this one... Touch, if you will, my stomach...."  I can't help but wonder. But it's the chorus that makes this a classic. It's direct and universal--and it ends with that bizarre flourish, the allusion to "the crying doves." (Prince's song was number one in America for quite a while; it defeated Bruce Springsteen's "Dancing in the Dark.") How can you just leave me standing-- Alone in a world that's so cold? Maybe I'm just too demanding. Maybe I'm just like my father--too bold. Maybe you're just like my mother; She's never satisfied. Why do we scream at each other? This is what it sounds like when doves cr...
Post a Comment
Read more