Book Review: Beautiful Children by Charles Bock - Page 2

This book could have collapsed into a series of vacuous interludes. But Bock raises it to a higher level through the intricate structure of his narrative, which keeps turning in on itself. Most of the action takes place during the course of a single day, but Bock constantly flashes forward and backward in one of the most brilliant manipulations of chronology that I have encountered in recent fiction. Every few pages, the scene and time sequence make a radical shift. Yet Bock artfully balances what he tells us in any given chapter with what he leaves unsaid. The overall effect is powerful: the reader is pushed deeper and deeper into the story, yet constantly left with questions unanswered, and key details yet to be revealed.

Above all, the prose has pizzazz. In fact, this book reads as if it were meant to be spoken aloud. I am not a fan of audio books, but this one would probably make for interesting listening on a long drive – on a road trip to Las Vegas, for example. Then again, after a few hours of Beautiful Children on the car sound system, you might find you want to turn around before you get to the Nevada state line. This is a story you would much rather read than experience first hand. 

Article Author: Ted Gioia

Ted Gioia is a writer and musician. He is the author of Delta Blues, The History of Jazz and, most recently, The Birth (and Death) of the Cool.

Visit Ted Gioia's author page — Ted Gioia's Blog