Saturday Review: “Debut Novel By Carolina Newcomer Offers Thrill Ride” a review by Henry L. Wilson of Bark On by Mason Boyles (2023) in NCLR Online Winter 2024
The Olympic triathlon is swimming 1.5km, biking 40km, and running 10km. The mental stamina and motion definition (and differentiation) necessary to complete the competition is akin to the way Wilson describes this debut novel: “Boyles grabs the reader from the start with his compact, often barebones, prose style (heavy on nominative phrases, short on verbs, transitions, and connective “little words”), as well as his often-frenetic narrative, with a highly episodic presentation throughout…”
As anyone who has successfully written and published a novel knows, completing a book is practically a triathlon itself. The fortitude required is immense. Same, at times, of reading them. Wilson says, “By the end of the novel, the dogged and persistent reader emerges with a keen sense of the mental and emotional workings of the fanatical triathletes who form the sinews and story line of the novel, as well as an appreciation for the dedication and drive necessary to achieve success in such a demanding sport.”
Read the entire review in the Online Winter 2024 issue out now! And order the book from Bookshop.org.
