Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Tom Wolfe brings on the colonic irritation in new novel

 

Luke Blackall
Monday 29 October 2012 01:00 GMT
Comments
Tom Wolfe 'Back To Blood' book signing
Tom Wolfe 'Back To Blood' book signing (Rex Features)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

The first UK reviews of Tom Wolfe's novel Back to Blood have started appearing, and a recurring theme is Wolfe's frenzied approach to punctuation.

The quickest of flicks through shows what has caught the critics' attention, with a proliferation of capitals throughout the novel's 700 pages. On one page it is the word "SMACK" on another, the phrase "MEAT BEAT".

Then there are the colons. Wolfe is so free with them that you wonder if he could do with a colon-ic cleanse. "::::::How could they call me that?!::::::" reads one line.

And don't get us started on the ellipses... :::::Actually, do, because they are EVERYWHERE!::::::

Elsewhere, the book reads like a paean to onomatopoetic prose (as he might excitably write). "Wee wee weeaahhhhHHH hock hock hock" is one bit of dialogue.

The word "pling" written in subscript competes with its colleague/rival "pling" in superscript.

The 81-year-old Wolfe has been known to set trends in both non-fiction and fiction. And this could help introduce the mainstream to his punctuation quirks.

::::::Be watchful, soon ALL writers might decide suddenly BANG! en masse...

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in