PORNOGRAPHY,
SELF-HELP BOOKS, GOD, AND A GLASWEGIAN HOUSEWIFE
In
"Original Bliss", a weary Scotswoman who's lost her
faith in God takes a trip to Stuttgart and finds solace in a brilliant
porn-addicted professor who makes a living pontificating on the
value of masturbation. If that sounds twisted, that's because
it is. If you prefer your love stories mild and sweet, stay away.
A.L.
Kennedy, a brash young Scottish writer firmly set among the new
Scot Lit pack that includes Irvine Welsh and James Kelman, deftly
takes on lust, desire, faith, perversion, and steamy sex in this
darkly comic and uncommon novel and short story collection. Love-riddled
and passionate characters make appearances and Kennedy describes
them in a fashion that is frighteningly poetic and original. The
novel centers around an abused housewife, Helen Brindle, and the
person, Edward E. Gluck, who helps her rediscover original bliss.
Their offbeat courtship is fascinating, sad and hopeful. It's
a dark tale, but Kennedy's cynicism is ultimately beat out by
a reluctant romanticism. Original Bliss is biting, witty, and
full of longing. Just the way a love story should be.
