Christopher Conlon is one of the most talented writers working today, as far as I'm concerned. His first novel, Midnight on Mourn Street, is one of the best books I've read in years. His short stories are always first rate, and I even read a poetry collection by him.
The latest book by Conlon is a novel called A Matrix of Angels. It's a story about a serial killer, but believe me, you haven't read this story before. It isn't from the point of view of the killer. It's not a police procedural. It doesn't even focus on the victims. In fact, the killer barely even surfaces in the book at all. For A Matrix of Angels isn't really a story about a killer, but about the nature of memory and how we are haunted by events in our past.
A woman writer of children's books is living a life of regret and alcoholism. She takes a trip back to her hometown and to her childhood. Both in her memory and in her real life. Exploring the things she finds there, she rediscovers the joys and agonies of the most tumultuous year of her life.
That may sound typical, but Conlon's story is anything but. A Matrix of Angels is so beautifully written. He sucked me into the worlds of the past and present of his protagonist, and made me laugh, cry, care, and bleed with his characters.
Christopher Conlon deals with intense emotions with his fiction. Possibly more so than some readers would care to handle. But those that crave thoughtful, rich, rewarding fiction that pulls no punches should definitely seek his work out. You will not be disappointed. That's a promise.
The latest book by Conlon is a novel called A Matrix of Angels. It's a story about a serial killer, but believe me, you haven't read this story before. It isn't from the point of view of the killer. It's not a police procedural. It doesn't even focus on the victims. In fact, the killer barely even surfaces in the book at all. For A Matrix of Angels isn't really a story about a killer, but about the nature of memory and how we are haunted by events in our past.
A woman writer of children's books is living a life of regret and alcoholism. She takes a trip back to her hometown and to her childhood. Both in her memory and in her real life. Exploring the things she finds there, she rediscovers the joys and agonies of the most tumultuous year of her life.
That may sound typical, but Conlon's story is anything but. A Matrix of Angels is so beautifully written. He sucked me into the worlds of the past and present of his protagonist, and made me laugh, cry, care, and bleed with his characters.
Christopher Conlon deals with intense emotions with his fiction. Possibly more so than some readers would care to handle. But those that crave thoughtful, rich, rewarding fiction that pulls no punches should definitely seek his work out. You will not be disappointed. That's a promise.
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