Just Finished Reading: The Flame Throwers by Rachel Kushner (FP: 2013)

After graduating from Film School ‘Reno’ heads to the only place she can think of to learn her trade and start producing the art she knows she’s capable of – New York. It’s 1977 and New York is the art capital of the world. But after months of looking and trying nothing has happened – until she wanders into a bar meets a strange couple in the middle of a long running argument and is invited to a party downtown. Days later she receives an invitation to show her around the city by someone she is immediately drawn to. Having already learnt the danger of asking direct questions she slowly discovers that he’s the younger son of an Italian tyre and motorbike empire ‘slumming it’ in New York to escape his overbearing family in Milan – an empire that produces her favourite motorbike. Trying out her latest set of wheels (care of her now boyfriend) she hooks up with a group of Italian mechanics supporting a land speed record attempt and (briefly) becomes the fastest woman in the world at Bonneville Flats. Invited to go to Milan on a promotional photoshoot – and to create her first proper documentary film – her reluctant boyfriend agrees to ‘tag along’ and introduce her to his family. It’s a situation that quickly spirals out of control and Reno flees to Rome in an attempt to escape from her boyfriend’s betrayal. There she is at ground zero for an explosion of political radicalism, demonstrations and the terrorism of the Red Brigades. It’s all quite a coming of age.

The brief synopsis above hardly does credit to this frighteningly good novel (the author’s second). ‘Reno’ – the only name we know the main character and sometime narrator of her own life by – is fantastic as the youth addicted to speed, motorbikes and the need to find meaning in celluloid. Late 70’s New York is a fascinatingly chaotic, dangerous and run-down place seemingly full of offbeat, damaged and intriguing figures many of whom you don’t know whether to take seriously or not. The conversations are sparkling and disturbing in equal measure but never, never dull. Rome takes things to a whole new level. You can almost taste the tear gas in the back of your throat and hear the rhythm of the riot police as they bang their riot sticks against their shields prior to charging into the crowd. The tension on the city streets is quite palpable and certainly stays with you long after you’ve turned the last page. Above all else, character, plot, background, minor and major story diversions, the thing that struck me most about this quite excellent novel was the beauty of the writing. Above all else it was a delight to read. The crafting of every scene, every page, and every sentence was often astounding. I caught myself re-reading passages, not because I had lost my way or was struggling to understand a particularly difficult section but because I just loved the way it sounded – in my head or out loud. Luckily I read it mostly at home or my work colleagues would probably have thought that I’d finally tipped all the way over into madness (and my work would have suffered terribly as I wouldn’t have wanted to put the book down after my lunch break)!

Not only is this one of the best books I’ve read in a while I’d have to say that it’s one of the best I’ve read at all – and I’ve read quite a few. I’ll definitely be hunting out her earlier work and looking out for her next when it hits paperback. I’m not sure if I can recommend it too highly. There’s a lot going on – not exactly clear from my poor synopsis – and you do have to keep your eye on the ball – but the quality of the writing helps a great deal in keeping the focus where it’s needed. While not entirely effortless this is a dream of a read. I’m certainly glad that I impulse bought it when I did.