In a Nutshell: Daniel lives with an irrational fear that a faraway
hurricane will one day descend upon his world and destroy everything he
knows.Our Helpful Subtitle Suggestion: “The Weather Is Sorta Hard to Predict.”
It Reads Like: If Franz Kafka and Anne Carson got together and re-wrote The Wizard of Oz, with occasional in-text illustrations by Dave Eggers. Except, of course, featuring completely different characters set in a completely different (but utterly original) world.
What You Should Know: The young author’s first novel, Light Boxes, was named one of NPR’s Best Books of the Year in 2010. In fact, that book, which was at one point optioned for the big screen by Spike Jonze, is also about a mighty struggle … against a never-ending winter.
The Easy Sell: A surreal and playful postmodern fable about an epic struggle against a villainous force-of-nature, with a surprisingly human love story of intriguing complexity.
The Harder Sell: Despite its light touch, the book veers head-on into issues of psychosis and the flickering, illusory effects of the cracked-up mind.
Dream Big Screen Adaptation: Mark Ruffalo as Daniel. Glenn Close as The Hurricane (Voice). Adapted screenplay by Charlie Kaufman. Directed by Michel Gondry.
Best Read: Under the covers, by lamplight.
Daniel Fights a Hurricane by Shane Jones (Penguin, July 31)
