Books (and readers) full of surprises

As the owner of a retail store, I'm continually surprised at what books people buy ... at least in my shop.

I had expected to sell mountains of James Patterson's books, just the way the supermarket here in town sells cases of Pepsi. But I find that Patterson is anathema to my customers who much prefer works by Kate Atkinson, Donna Leon and Ross Thomas.

Meanwhile, books that I considered a hard sell have been proven to be easy.

Case-in-point: We Disappear by Scott Heim.

I knew Heim had written Mysterious Skin, but didn't discover the book until after I'd seen the movie on DVD release. When I met Heim at NEIBA last fall, I got a copy of his book and devoured it. It moved me so much that, while it isn't the traditional sleuth-hunts-down-killer scenario of detective fiction, I invited him to a signing at the store. (It will happen Saturday, April 5 at 1 p.m. for those of you in the Brattleboro, Vt. area).

I brought in some copies, put up a display and expected not to sell many until the event.

I was wrong. When I tallied up my sales last week, it was number 5 among my bestsellers. Even more surprising, We Disappear was my No. 1 seller for the month of March.

Sure, you say, but March is always a slow month. True, I say, but still...

Readers are taking to We Disappear. And while Ian Rankin and Cara Black continue to sell swimmingly, there appears to be interest out there for more eclectic titles written by authors willing to take a chance.

I'm sure Heim didn't write We Disappear with the genre of mystery in mind. He set out to write a good novel and, luckily, those of us who like a good mystery have benefited.

Note: I've just finished and fallen in love with Jennifer McMahon's Island of Lost Girls. This coming-of-age novel has all the earmarks of becoming a classic. That it's also a fine murder mystery is an unexpected bonus.

We Disappear

It's not out in bookstores until next month, but I need to talk about it now.

Scott Heim, author of Mysterious Skin, has a new novel on the way -- We Disappear. While it falls outside the traditional mystery genre, there is so much here to like and the mystery, a case of recovered memory and its consequences, is a brilliant piece of writing.

When a drug-addicted son returns home to care for his cancer-ridden mother, a body turns up in a nearby field, bringing with it a flood of memories. It sends the pair in search of the couple who kidnapped the mother years earlier. But is the mother telling the truth. As she retells her story, facts vary and those in her life begin to doubt her state of mind. Then ... it gets really freaky.

As always, Heim writes from the heart and, as his two protagonists crawl painfully toward the redemption that knowledge can bring, his well-honed language etches a portrait of doubt and despair.

Heim's earlier novel Mysterious Skin became the basis for the award-winning 2005 movie, a film that stays with you.

And speaking of movies, Heim has made his own: a trailer for We Disappear. It evokes the sense of loss and melancholy of the book while giving nothing away plotwise. Check it out at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8Xl3TKx7mw