Welcome. Back in Dec of 1995 I had only read one of Ms. Trott's novels, The Holy Man, but I liked it so much that I wanted to immediately pay hom(ep)age via this Web site. Since then I have also read Sightings and realized that this is not a one-book wonder, but an artist of unique and compelling vision. I'll be adding more information as I read her other work and do more research.--Dale Kirby
"Susan Trott is the author of nine novels. She has three grown children, is an ardent runner, and a homebody who travels widely. She lives in northern California with a Norwegian seaman, when he's not at sea."
--from the book jacket of The Holy Man.
Russian Hill Press in San
Francisco, will be publishing Susan Trott's new novel, Tainted
Million, as a trade paperback this fall. Sample chapter is available for download.The Holy Man is on the Annotated Book List for the Virtual Reading Group.
Places on the Web to buy Susan's books. Click Here.
"Buddhism and insomnia led novelist Susan Trott to invent an alternative to counting sheep: she counted a line of people waiting to see a holy man. This mental game, unresolved each night as sleep arrived, inspired The Holy Man.
Each chapter of this charming book tells the tale of a pilgrim and his problem.
These stories unravel the knots of everyday anxieties with profound ease, humor, wisdom and elegance. Perhaps the most winning feature of this book is that we're all in here, somewhere, with our wounded egos, insecurities, bad tempers, impatience and ambitiousness. But the Holy Man leads us to realize that a guru's cures never actually cure us, but simply show us the good things we are but cannot see."
"If you look on everyone as a holy person," the Holy Man advises," you will be happy."
Trott, Susan. The Holy Man. New York: Riverhead Books, 1995 ISBN 1-57322-002-7
BTW: I am in no way affiliated with Riverhead Books and am not acquainted with Susan Trott (although after reading this book I would like to be ;-)"
Theodore E. Drake
Director of Library Services
Tarrant County Jr. College
Fort Worth, TX 76119
theodore@fastlane.net
A review by Brendan Kiernan
About a year and a half ago, a friend suggested I read "The Holy Man" by Susan Trott. I'd never heard the name before, but by the time I finished reading her latest book, it hit me that I'd been exposed to a wonderful, original writer. Setting out to find the rest of her novels, I discovered they were out of print, but came across "Sightings" by chance in a NYC used bookstore. Of the three I've read so far, "Sightings" is my favorite book by Trott.
It's difficult to put a label on this book, what it's "about," what its characters are "like." It is about so many things: Apparently disparate shades of emotion, conflicting sides of obsessions and dreams, strange twists in plot. Multiple narrators keep you constantly guessing, hoping, and finally, believing in a world where the line between reality and fantasy is blurred.
Susan Trott successfully lures you into the dreams and consciousness of unforgettable characters: Sunny, a college-age sailing champion whose father, a reclusive, renowned philosopher, has run off with her best friend following the disappearance of her mom, lost sailing the same bay where her childhood brother drowned years ago; Buster, Sunny's dependable, emotionally charged first love; Masefield, the young spy with altruistic hopes of making a difference in the world, the one outsider with a chance of seeing things for what they are; Muir Scott, Sunny's dad, who leaves town under a cloud of suspicion to find the lost meaning in his life.
"Sightings" is a warm and unique blend of emotions, mystery, and fantasy. Obsession, hate, love, meaninglessness, they're all part of the same search for Sunny's mom and brother, for Muir's hope, for Masefield's heroism, for Buster's love. It's the element of fantasy that struck me most when reading this book, as Susan Trott perfectly observes the human quirks and desires which make it fascinating to discern what is "real," particularly at the conclusion of the novel. There are many images that will stay with you after finishing this book. I recently spent some time in California, and drove through the town of Inverness (where most of "Sightings" is set), and found myself thinking about the characters: Sunny looking out at the silver bay in search of mom, Buster rolling happily down grassy blue hills or driving his motorcycle over mountain roads. This actually prompted me to read the book a second time, and enjoyed it just as much. Anyone who appreciates a completely unique and engrossing writer should definitely read "Sightings."
Other than "The Holy Man," I've only seen her books in used bookstores. Here is the publishing information for "Sightings":
Paperback: Harper & Row 1988 (Perennial Library)
ISBN # 0-06-097158-4
Lib. Of Congress # 87-46176
Alvin Hishinuma tells of the synchronistic way that he learned of this little known novel:
"Unfortunately most of her books are not in print. I found a bunch of them
at a used book store. (And I work in a bookstore!) Anyway, you did miss mentioning one book (which can't be
helped because it isn't listed on any of her others and the only way I know about it is because the guy I
bought most of the books from saw it somewhere, picked it up and _gave_ it to me! It's called "Mr. Privacy"
and is a young adult book illustrated by Marsha Guminski. According to the dust jacket, it is her first novel but she has published "many short stories"
Here's the copyright information:
isbn: 0-316-85300-3
library of congress: 70-1822255
published by Little, Brown and Company in association with Atlantic Monthly Press
1972
It was $5.95 (hardcover) when it first came out.
(Created Dec 31, 95. Updated )
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