Hollywood

Overview

A man’s future abruptly ends when a stray bullet kills the woman he loves, pregnant with their first child. Wandering the streets of New York in despair, he contemplates how such betrayal of hope can lurk beneath the urban/suburban gloss that surrounds him. But rescue comes by way of a loving husband and wife, living by choice on the margins of society after having turned their backs on America’s shallow “Hollywood†aspirations—a reality that so many today are realizing is just that, an “American dream†unattainable for most. They listen to his story, and tell their own, delving into the implications of love, friendship, and war, while ongoing televised reporting covers a Chechen astronaut who has disconnected himself from his spacecraft, an act that has captured the world’s attention, a moment of contrition that extends out and connects people as they seek to find meaning in this world. Hollywood is a masterful and delicate unveiling of how life becomes a revelation about the human heart and the sweet brevity of our earthly existence.

Reviews

“How can literary writers conjure events that give their work long-lasting effect? The answer in all cases is to create events of enormous impact. If an event is external, excavate its inner meaning. If a moment is internal, push it out the door and make it do something large, real, permanent, and hard to miss. Marc Séguin succeeds in spades.â€Â â€”Donald Maass, author, Writing 21st Century Fiction

“Hollywood by Marc Séguin: one of Quebec literature’s great works.â€Â â€”Laurence Lebel, CISM 89.3 FM, on the original French-language edition

"Marc Séguin has just written a powerful book, a masterpiece that focuses on what kind of life we want to lead. The novel goes straight to the heart of the essential to move us closer to the core of another human being." —Critiques Libres

“With this unlikely love story that draws knowingly on clichés, the author depicts an America living under a bell jar, convinced that the dramas seen on TV can prepare it for the real horror. A novel in which disenchantment is poetic and lucidity is our only hope of survival.â€Â â€”Anne-Marie Genest, Librairie Pantoute

Author Biography

Marc Séguin is the author of Poacher's Faith and a visual artist who has exhibited at prestigious contemporary exhibitions and fairs worldwide. He divides his time between Montreal and New York City. Kathryn Gabinet-Kroo is an artist and translator. She lives in Montreal.