Tinderbox
Megan Dunn
Rating: 5*
This was the first book I had to study this year at University for a Publishing course I'm taking, and I loved it!
It is a great examination of failure and creativity in a thought-provoking account of writing a novel and working at a corporate bookseller.
In this autobiographical narrative, Megan signs up to the National Novel Writing Month in an attempt to write a feminist retelling of Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451. Instead, Megan discovers the difficulty of maintaining a creative and innovative mindset in a digital world. The italicised experts from her uninspired book show the ramblings of a lost writer. Writing on her computer in timed sessions each day, Megan spends more time obsessing over her word count, checking SparkNotes, and watching Truffaut's film adaptation instead of overcoming her writer’s block.
Though at times the focus on the film leaves the reader frustrated, the novel captures the relatable and authentic reality of procrastination. Lots of people in my seminar did not like the book as much as me for this very reason. They felt that it was too padded with references to the film, where I instead interpreted it as witty and clever, and very relatable. It was almost like watching anyone write anything, whether that is an essay, a review or a book. You do anything but write.
The book jumps between writing, working, and procrastinating in a very episodic way.
In the sections of working at Borders (a liquidated international book retailer), Megan shows the lack of respect customers had for the books, as well as Megan's own attitude towards the bestsellers. In a witty episode, Tinderbox illustrates Megan’s successful advertisement of In The Night Garden, spending hours creating a display on Iggle Piggle. Any book that can successfully integrate Iggle Piggle into it wins in my head.
The majority of the depictions of Borders, however, clearly demonstrate their failings. While working on this sinking ship, Megan details the hopelessness of paper books, likening the burning of paper in Fahrenheit 451 to the current reading age where books are burned at “half price” in bookshops.
Unlike Bradbury, Megan struggles to generate creativity surrounding the lives of Clarisse and Mildred, the two female characters. Their lives blur with that of Julie Chrissie, the actress who plays both parts, as well as Megan’s own life. The result is an autobiographical debut, where fact blurs with fiction.
A very candid, witty reflection on the failure of creativity. I would definitely recommend!
Happy Reading :)