The Chalk Artist

April 24, 2017
Goodman (The Cookbook Collector) probes the meaning and place of art in contemporary culture in her intricate and empathic novel. When artist and actor Collin is first drawn to Nina in a Harvard Square bar, he has no idea that the attractive young high school English teacher has no financial need to work at all. Her father is the head of Arkadia, a local gaming company at the leading edge of virtual reality technology. Convinced that Collin is squandering his talents, Nina encourages him to show his art to her father and his business partner, Nina’s cruelly perfectionist uncle. The novel then shifts its emotional focus to the struggles of one of Nina’s students and her increasingly troubled twin brother, who has become obsessed with Arkadia’s newest game. Exploring not only the varying ephemerality and permanence of both art and relationships, this richly textured novel also considers the commodification of art and art as a means to salvation. With its strong Boston setting, the novel also offers opportunities to consider the contrasts between local and virtual communities and the authenticity of the relationships each fosters.

Narrator Orlagh Cassidy conjures vivid descriptions of both the everyday and the fantastical. Goodman's novel explores the conflicts between real life in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and the virtual reality of sophisticated multiplayer video games. Cassidy paints convincing vocal character portraits of the earnest teacher, the charming underachiever with whom she begins a relationship, the impudent video gamer, and various impassive teenagers. One challenging aspect of the audiobook, however, is that it can be difficult to keep track of the many different character names. Nonetheless, Cassidy's narration of the otherworldly creatures and settings that comprise the imaginative virtual realities helps listeners imagine being enveloped by these extraordinary worlds. S.E.G. � AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine