atillarrocha

Composed of fifty-five prose snippets, Mr. Shields in ‘Remote’ fashions a literary mosaic that amounts to a brainy yet heartfelt meditation on the nature and implications of our self-absorbed, fame-addled culture. The sections take a variety of forms, from memoir vignettes to critical mini-essays and beyond, but each is infused with intellectual electricity and an often dark sense of humor. Mr. Shields is at his best when he foists his distastefully human quirks and desires on readers, forcing us in turn to confront our own. This is heady but sincere stuff, and the odd blend of hyper-smarts with an almost infantile curiosity results in a compelling affinity between author and audience. Ultimately, we’re left with a treatise that is at once an indictment and lauding of postmodern America, a deconstruction and reaffirmation of the individual.

2023-06-23 23:13