|
Official Mike Boyle Website
Official Thieves Jargon Press
|
A Review of Boyle's Dollhouse (2007)
By
Jason Jordan,
Oct 26, 2007
For those acquainted with the online/print zine known as Thieves Jargon, the name Mike Boyle should ring that proverbial bell. Published numerous times in TJ since 2005, Dollhouse (Thieves Jargon Press, 2007) is Boyle’s debut novel, and a good one at that. The book follows protagonist Tony Diggs during a tumultuous ménage à trois with a drug-addicted girl named Cindy and her alcoholic mother Lois, who also finds himself amidst crises of his own such as the impending death of his father, increasing distance between him and his friends, and a pressing situation which involves either taking his band to the next level or remaining at his shitty, blue-collar job doing the same thing day in and day out. Though a mere 171 pages, Dollhouse is certainly denser than it first appears.
 If Boyle is unknown to you, however, you’ll continually find yourself wondering just how much of the book is true, based on his bio, which states that “He was a singer, songwriter and guitarist for many rock bands from the late ‘70s until the mid ‘90s, most notably New Left, circa 1983-‘86.” Coincidentally, or maybe not, main character Diggs happens to front a band by the same name, and the remainder of the bio mentions accomplishments and events (“two singles on their own label,” “significant college radio airplay”; “disbanding in New York City amid rumors of substance abuse and in-fighting”) that do rear their heads in the material itself – enough to make one think that Dollhouse is more fact than fiction. While it’s been said before in other reviews, I’ll concur with those who claim that Boyle reads like an updated, ‘80s version of Bukowski-cum-Burroughs because their raucous, substance-ridden lifestyles parallel one another in several respects.
While the delivery is great – you’ll find no overwrought prose here – the novel has its drawbacks. Diggs proves tough to root for because he walks a fine line between caring and sleazy, which more or less makes him an antihero, and the mother/daughter ménage à trois is simply too farfetched. As a result, I had difficulty swallowing this more than anything else in Dollhouse. Still, there’s a compelling story here, with numerous, interesting subplots to boot, and though Diggs comes across the way he does, he’s like Chinaski in the sense that we want him to prosper even if he doesn’t always necessarily deserve to. Also, despite the striking, alluring cover art, the book takes the “less is more” adage to heart, and is thus noticeably plain. Another minor complaint is that the header doesn’t appear on the page of a new chapter or the page before/after it, which equates to a lot of missing page numbers. Intentional, I know, but frustrating nevertheless.
In the end, Boyle’s Dollhouse is a solidly good book that I feel comfortable recommending, but not praising to high heaven. Why take my word for it, though? Check out a lengthy excerpt, and decide for yourself.
Jason Jordan's introduction to decomP came in July 2004 when he won our 4th of July contest. He joined the staff of decomP in September 2004 as Staff Reviewer and was promoted to Assistant Editor in January 2007, continuing to write reviews for the magazine, while assuming responsibilities as poetry editor. He has never slowed down in his work on the magazine and will assume the role of Editor in January 2008. Jason has hosted the Bean Street Reading Series, edited the IUS Review, and has been a featured writer at numerous venues throughout the midwest. His work appears in UltimateMetal, The2ndHand, Verbsap, Automiguel, RAGAD, and Pindeldyboz. He is currently pursuing his MFA in Creative Writing at Chatham University in Pittsburgh.
Back |
