I just wrote a short review of Rikki Ducornet's new novel Netsuke for Omni. It's a disturbing novel, in the best way, and pushes against what's moral or decent. I don't doubt it will be polarizing, and there's something very compelling about the fact that even though Ducornet has had a long and distinguished career she's not interested in being content or complacent in her fiction.For those of you who must have this kind of information, the novel doesn't have a speculative element but Ducornet is at heart a surrealist and any novel by her is fantastical at the level of metaphor---more so than a lot of "pure" fantasists. Simply put Ducornet sees the phantasmagorical in the mundane, in our reality. That's one way you know you're reading someone with a unique view of the world: it permeates all of their texts, regardless of the subject matter through the emissary that is their style.If you're unfamiliar with Ducornet---and she's far from unknown in the "literary mainstream"---here's a selection
of her novels and story collections to choose from. You can also read her Wiki, check her website, or read this interview She frequently does write fiction that includes some fantastical element. She has also illustrated books by Robert Coover and Jorge Luis Borges.Evil Monkey: JRP?Jeff: SOP
