I'm currently reading The Land of Laughs, by Jonathan Carroll.

I love that book! And yeah, as Strega notes, not only is that particular surprising thing a recurring motif, but it's typical of his genius ability to get you sucked into a real world setting and then bend it until you're getting a prickly sensation on the back of your neck. He does eerie and creepy exceptionally well.

Isn't the actress who plays her good, Erika? She nails the drunkenness (whch is so hard to act believably) and and she also does the anger/vulnerability combo really well.

Yeah, she's just amazing. HBO sure can get the good performances, and it's true. I never get the sense that she's reading(slurring) or (stumbles)

I'm currently reading The Land of Laughs, by Jonathan Carroll.

I love that book!

Dude, YOU recommended it to me, when I was in SF and we were in The Bookstore Of The Hairless Cat (can't remember the actual name of the bookstore -- I want to say "Shadowlands," but that can't be right).

I've never read anything by Jonathan Carroll, but they sound like my kind of book. should I start with The land of the Laughs ?

I've never read anything by Jonathan Carroll, but they sound like my kind of book. should I start with The land of the Laughs ?

Either Land of Laughs or Voice of My Shadow.

Teppy, the bookstore is called Borderlands, I think.

beth, I'll note that Jonathan Carroll is one of my prime examples of Imprinted By A Distinct Sensibility. Which is my theory that certain creative types have such distinct and original visions that the first time you encounter them tends to be your favorite of their work.

Also see: Monty Python, Marx Brothers, Jim Thompson...

I saw what's-her-name who plays Jane on tv in another role, all cleaned up and was shocked to find myself thinking, "Well, she's rather attractive" before I put 2 and 2 together.

my theory that certain creative types have such distinct and original visions that the first time you encounter them tends to be your favorite of their work.

I will say, although I can intellectually recognize that The Nothing Man is a fairly lame tabloid-y novel, and the least of Jim Thompson's many works, I also hold it dear to my heart for its OTT ranting about serving hot dogs in mayonnaise to a man who's had his dick shot off.

Actually, aforementioned ranting is basically the Platonic ideal of Thompson in my head. I know he's done more subtle work, but I also know that the impulse to shocker-headline lurks behind every word. (See also: subplot in The Grifters.)

Hm. I read Black Cocktail first. And then, I think, Bones of the Moon. My favorite is From the Teeth of Angels, but Land of Laughs & A Child Across the Sky are very close.

(So I dispute your theory. Nyah.)

Oh, I would advise people who haven't read Carroll: if you have trouble with unlikable protagonists, he may not be for you.