Sucking Readers In?

Image via Wikipedia

I listen to a lot of audio books. Might as well since I easily top 20,000 miles a year in the car. A good book performer can make a decent book good and good book great, but one recent work I heard was unlike anything I’ve ever encountered. In fact, the publishing world is trying a few different things lately to grab the attention of a distraction-filled world.

The interesting book I discovered is called The Chopin Manuscript by Jeffrey Deaver. I had never read his stuff before but knew the name. He’s well known and respected enough to have been tasked with writing the newest James Bond novel, Carte Blanche, which released earlier this summer.

The interesting thing about The Chopin Manuscript is that the book was written along with 14 other noted authors. Deaver created the characters and set the plot in motion before handing off to the waiting group of collaborators, each of whom took a chapter. Eventually the book wound its way back to Deaver who finished the story off. Pretty good stuff from a group of people who recognize that novels should be, well, novel. I enjoyed the story, especially as it was read by Alfred Molina who’s a gifted actor. My only complaint is the lack of an afterword  by Deaver. If ever a book deserved some discussion regarding the creative process this was it.