At one point he said, "Aaron, I don't usually like contemporary literature, but I couldn't put this book down. I think you'll love it." I asked him what it was and he ran upstairs and brought down a copy of Reservation Blues by Sherman Alexie. A book that I took a while to get to, but when I did, I devoured. It is a novel about a rock band called Coyote Springs, made of five American Indians. Three Spokane Indians (from Washington) and two Flathead Indians (from Montana) It is hard to describe some of the happenings in the novel, it is an enjoyable though not always...kosher...read.
Its about stories. Its about desire. Its about sex. Its about friendship. Its a powerful book with the kind of dialogue that would make any cinephile salivate. The film could be visually stunning, though it wouldn't have to be. It could be an intimate portrayal of these young people's lives and the way that their lives were able to rise and fall with the times and circumstances. This is a film that I would like to see made. But if it never comes to fruition: worse things have happened.
2 comments:
If you liked the book you might like the movie that he wrote, Smoke Signals. Reservation Blues is the first Alexie book I read, but by no means my favorite. My top three picks by Alexie are The Toughest Indian in the World (short stories), Flight, and a book of poems that he did (can't remember which one. Whichever one had The Farm in it).
Ooh, I almost forgot to mention that someone made a short film out of one of his short stories. Mr. Potatohead is one of the characters. You can find it here http://twinkleshappyplace.blogspot.com/2010/02/south-by-southwest-movie-by-sherman.html Like most of Alexie's work it's both absurd and profound at the same time.
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