The Michigan Daily
Rude aw
This music-filled se
Living Dead' is rel
bought the rights t
der' scriptwriter D
the soon-to-be-rele
original 'Living De
features the death
and SSQ among oth
quel to 'Night of the Living Dead' called 'Return of the
lated to the original only because producer Tom Fox
o the script. The film, which is directed by 'Blue Thun-
an O'Bannon, is also unrelated to 'Day of the Dead,'
ased effort by George Romero, the director of the:
ead' movie. 'Return' which opens soon in Ann Arbor,;
rock sounds of The Cramps, The Damned, 45 Grave,;
ers.
ARTS
Thursday, August 8, 1985 Page 6
Noveldepicts lost love
details of his brief relationship with or to Mary's overwhelming piano ex-
Kentucky Love Mary borders on obsession. She was positions are described with imagery
By Joe Coomer the waitress at the Pancake & Egg, of Hart's drowning.
St. Martin's/Marek, "a talented piano student, and Hart's
first love." The loss of Mary coupled But, as Hart points out, one has to
185 pages, $12.95 with the death of his grandmother sink to appreciate the necessity of
JOE COOMER received the Texas created such searing pain that five swimming. In the present Hart feels
Institute of Letters Award for best years later Hart is still coming to that he is no longer drowning, but is
fiction of 1983 with his debut novel The trms with it. As a healing exercise he rather a piece. of flotsam. Hart
records it all, and Kentucky Love is believes that someday he will swim
the memoir. again. Although Coomer stretches the
The chapters alternate erratically water metaphors a bit thin in parts,
between Hart's freshman year and the overall effect of this focal image
his reclusive present on his gran- is both stirring and appropriate.
By Jacqueline Raznik dfather's farm. Although Hart is As Hart sifts through the ashes of
suspended somewhere between past ents imprinted upon mmrh
and present, the vague time referen- eventsipitduo memory, he
tries to retrieve his shattered faith in
Decatur Road. Coomer's latest novel ces of certain paragraphs may con- man. What exalts man above the rest
Kentucky Love will heighten this sur- fuse the reader who does not take of the animal kingdom? Is it simply
facing writer's acclaim as a poignant careful note of the abrupt changes in vanity? When his grandfather's old
and evocative storyteller.In Ken- tense. Overall, however, the format mutt Zeke pursues a fleeing rabbit
tucky Love Coomer creates a sen- works well and enhances the depic- Hart chases after the dog and won-
sitive protagonist, Hart Crane, whose tion of Hart's embroiled mental state. dra what would happen if the
recollections of his freshman year at Hart devours the words of his nam- suddenly flip
the University of Kentucky embrace esake, Hart Crane, his grandfather's magneticelds wold suddenlyeflip
universal hearttruth of love and loss. favorite poet, finding the vivid sea North would become South. Would
Present and past are intertwined as imagery and the theme of drowning rabbit be chasing dog chasing man?
Hart, now age 23, attends to the mun- an ideal illustration for his own Hart is plagued by such challenges to
dane but therapeutic responsibilities maelstrom of emotion and thought. man's significance.
dictated by his grandfather's rolling Kentucky Love is replete with the
Kentucky farm. But vivid memories theme of swimming vs. drowning: For brief moments Hart can forget
of freshman year dominate his rationality vs. emotion. Memories of the feeling of powerlessness that
thoughts. He thinks of the fraternity learning to swim with his grandfather death and heartbreak force him to
antics with buddies Moto and Ford, are Hart's most cherished. He reflects face: He climbs a tree, reaching his
the summer at his grandfather's on freshman year. Every reference to hand to the blue and almost touches
farm, but his remembrance of the his physical relationship with Mary, omniscience, omnipotence. But then a
bird descends, reminding Hart of his
human restrictions. He is simply
treed. Hart concludes that even if
existence has no meaning it
doesn't mean that existence itself
is unworthy. Unfortunately, Coomer
does not clearly develop how Hart
reaches this existential conclusion.
1. Nevertheless, his illustration of
Hart's quandry flaunts his
imagination and penetrating writing
' style.
Each of Coomer's characters
vivifies Hart's emotional duress by
A TSproviding a contrast or semblance to
Hart's own outlook. Images of
Professor Ashpal who arrives in class
only to inform his students that
sometimes letting go is the only true
demonstration of love, Rank, whose
faith in God and the good would never
shatter, and Grandpa, who never
ral Campus Central Campus enobled himself, shooting over the
Hall (Continued) enemies' heads in the war, are just a
Hall few that affect Hart as he tries to
wl Michigan Union resolve his emotional turmoil.
1 Science Buidling Michigan League
Buiding Student Activities Building True, the lengthy description of
stry Building Hart's sexual encounter with Mary
ittle Law School grows a bit tiresome, and excessive
on Building School of Education references to local products, dated
n Language Building School of Business Administration Tv shows, and music stars may
Builing choo ofalienate certain readers. It is also
Building School of Dentistry true that in the conclusion Hart spen-
Building School of Natural Resources ds much time in redundancy as he
ngineering Medical Campus tries to justify an already telling ac-
count of his 19th year. Nevertheless,
ngineering Taubman Library Joe Coomer is a poignant master of
graduate Library Medical Science wit and the metaphor, enabling Ken-
ate Library Furstenberg Lounge . tucky Love to soar beyond its oc-
casional areas of ambiguity to move
all who have ever loved and lost.
lir-
Dormitories Dormitories Cent
Mary Markley
Couzens
Alice Lloyd
Mosher-Jordan
Stockwell-
South Quad
East Quad
West Quad
Fletcher Hall
Helen Newberry
Betsy Barbour
Martha Cook
Law Club .
(Continued)
Bursley
Baits I
Baits II
Oxford Housing
North Campus
School of Music
Art & Architecture Bldg.
North Campus Commons
G. G. Brown
Dow Building
Engineering 1-A
Angell
Mason
Fishbo
Natura
Chemi
C. C. L
Dennis
Moder
Frieze
LS & A
East E
West E
Underc
Graduc
cif