Scenesters beware!
Valerie Block takes a look at how movies shape and haunt us along with the daily indignities of modern (single) living in Don’t Make A Scene
By Lisa Murphy
Published: September 25th, 2007 | 6:26pm
It can be rough living in New York City. It can also be rough living as a nearly 40-year-old unmarried woman dealing with the unsolicited advice (and criticism) from family and friends who wonder what's wrong with a woman that age who "can't find" a husband.
While exploring the Old Maid syndrome, Valerie Block's third novel also focuses pretty heavily on the role that movies play in the life of her characters, namely protagonist Diane Kurasick, the successful and ever-polite director of a Greenwich Village revival cinema house who is unexpectedly evicted from her apartment and has to embark on what turns out to be every New Yorker's real estate nightmare.
As she simultaneously manages the expansion of her movie theater and couch surfs in a world of couples, all the while endlessly touring too many overpriced Manhattan apartments, Diane realizes that her life really isn't conforming to the script. Aside from her lack-of-living-space turmoil, she is also constantly faced with the demands of her job, among which call for the coddling of the egotistic personalities on the theater's Board of Directors, her family's ongoing concern over her relationship status that translate into endless blind dates, and her search for the perfect repertoire of classic movies.
Block's many eclectic references to an extremely wide spectrum of movies will delight even casual cinema buffs, and as Diane becomes involved with the exotic architect in charge of the theater's renovation, the story takes an unexpected turn.
Readers are allowed unfettered access inside the heads of many of Block's characters, and if the insights into what Cuban refugee Vladimir Hurtado Padro´n is honestly thinking about women and Diane is an indication of how men really feel, then most women would probably rather not know. Vladimir is also still married to his wife back in Cuba, who refuses to grant him a divorce, something he hides behind that is both a blessing and a curse for Diane.
The novel is a light and mostly funny look at life and the search for love in New York City, but it is also a great historical reference as far as films are concerned. The extra element of Vladimir's love/hate relationship with Cuba and the observations and glimpses into Cuban life for Vladimir's family members who remain there is an added bonus that makes this book stand out as a more interesting read than the usual romantic comedy books.
The ending is unexpected and definitely a little weird, but it's also refreshing that it turns out to be a twisted take on the cliche´d "love and happiness forever" conclusion - a good read if you're looking for something that isn't too heavy but is a little more than the usual girly/romantic chick lit fluff.
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ABOUT THE BOOK:
Don't Make a Scene: A Novel
By Valerie Block
320 pages
List Price: $24.95
Issue #34
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