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The Puppet Turners of Narrow Interior
Just down the road from John Crowley’s characters is the town of Narrow Interior, the setting for Stephanie Hammer’s fable-ous first novel of secrets and heritage. Henry, the youngest son of a hotel magnate, is sent to calm the inhabitants as the hoteliers set about to despoil this odd byway. Instead, aided by his black sheep cousin and a cast of quirky characters, including Quirk, Henry sets out to discover the town secrets. The more he learns, the darker his mission appears, until Henry must choose if he is willing to risk all.
- GenresFiction
224 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 2001
7 people are currently reading
159 people want to read
About the author
Stephanie Barbé Hammer
8 books24 followers7 time Pushcart Prize nominee, Stephanie Barbé Hammer wrote her first poem when she was 6 and had just finished The Cat In The Hat. She has been a writer ever since. But first she became a professor and moved to the West Coast. She wrote scholarly articles and research books, before finally attempting to publish her creative writing in her mid 40's. Since then she has published short fiction, nonfiction, and poetry in a bunch of good places including, The Bellevue Literary Review, Pearl, NYCBigCityLit, CRATE, Hole In the Head, and the Hayden’s Ferry Review. She is currently the author of a prose poem chapbook prose poem chapbook _Sex with Buildings_ (Dancing Girl Press), the full length poetry collection _How Formal?_ (Spout Hill Press), the fabulist novel _The Puppet Turners of Narrow Interior_ (Urban Farmhouse Press), and a magical realist novelette_Rescue Plan_ (Bamboo Dart Press). in 2022 she brought out 2 new books: Pretend Plumber: An Adventure (Inlandia Books), and a mini-memoir in poems, City Slicker (Bamboo Dart Press.
Her new fabulist novel PRETEND PLUMBER just launched with Inlandia Books in May 2022
Her new fabulist novel PRETEND PLUMBER just launched with Inlandia Books in May 2022
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
April 13, 2015
I received this e-book in return for a promise to review it afterwards. At first I was all excited but when the book actually arrived, I panicked. What do I do if I don't like it? I went over the blurb again. Magical realism?! What was I thinking? I only read One Hundred Years of Solitude because I had a crush on the guy who recommended it, and struggled desperately after the first few chapters.
I needn't have worried. Hammer had me hooked at Mr. Death. I read the first 16 chapters all in one breath. In fact, I strongly recommend that readers strive to get it all in on a rainy afternoon or two.
In my case, life intervened for almost a week and I most definitely regret it.
That being said, despite the vast array of characters, after my hiatus I was able to get back into the book without too much difficulty. A e-book makes that easier, of course. (Who is Sean? Search the book for first mention.) Once getting back in to the book the vast array presented no problem since all of the primary characters and many of the secondary have clear, distinctive voices. I also embraced the magical characters. In fact, puppets, tattoos, and condiment shakers popping in and out of others' conversations, though confusing at first, became one of my favorite elements.
One can be somewhat lost at first, which initially bothered me but when I relaxed and saw it as a puzzle, I enjoyed it. An example from very early in the book was me trying to figure out location from vocabulary: 1) Oma (a word used among the people of German ancestry meaning grandmother, so maybe Pennsylvania Dutch region?); 2) hacienda (a ranch or large estate, or the main house on such an estate – in my mind this says California); 3) varmint (a chiefly southern and south midland America dialectal variant of vermin). Oma's stories didn't help. She is apparently well- and widely-read, and her stories include Journey to the West, a 16th century Chinese novel; Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, and tales from the Brothers Grimm. I became more confused when Oma used the German name Parzival for the Arthurian knight Percival, but it makes sense. She is German after all. Or is she? "...she has hazel eyes that are kind of slanted. Her father was Russian and she has what she calls Mongol eyes" (6). Hmmm, perhaps this child is simply a product of the American mosaic.
I love that Jack LaLanne is a hero of Henry. He was a hero of mine at that age and it surprises me that these days he seems all but forgotten.
Sean is a wonderful puzzle, a mass of contradictions. At first he felt female to me, but later he grow on me as an obvious male, perhaps he is a metrosexual, but he doesn't fit that stereotype either (thank goodness, who wants stereotypes?).
Just curious, I wonder why Hammer used her own translation for the quote from Les Miserables, rather than one of the at least eight English translations already available. I also wonder how different from these hers is.
Last but not least, I love Hammer's Acknowledgements: a full page in alphabetical order, by last name or first word, of the "following living, dead, real, and fictional entities," including, under 'a', "anyone I might have forgotten." Perfect!
Quotes that caught my eye
She...remained herself. Grounded in the whateverness that was her. (31)
The dress had deep pockets. For secrets. (36)
He...limped, sat down, and his ruined knees clicked something sad and funny under pinstriped pants. (46)
"Wait," she said. "He's an Arab."
Mr. Calvino popped up, "A most misunderstood ethnic group, like the Italians!" (47)
So, I become secret. I study unspecialness and silence. While most people in American work to develop ersatz talents, individualistic quirks, and even the occasional eccentricity, I let mediocrity shine like a beacon of nothingness. A black hole of personality. (48) (And just for a moment I wondered if Henry and Quirk were one and the same.)
He's an architect by trade, but an asshole by vocation. (55)
So you're there, but you're visibly invisible. A perceived absence. (61)
Knowledge has a fragrance. Study has an aroma to it. And the different fields all have their scent. Books are the flowering plants springing up miraculously from the seeds of everyday worlds, and as I enter Pinckey Library, I turn the key to a veritable secret garden—a sprawling preserve of olefactory flora. (89) (Even I with no olfactory senses to speak of, can feel what the Dean is experiencing. Thank you, Hammer, for that.)
He wrinkles his forehead again. The folds of his skin crumple like book pages, bumping their words against each other. (91)
...a new tree of knowledge, indeed a world tree that grounds the good and gives shade and shelter to any who would seek it. (128)
We faithful fail tests all the time. What is needed now is persistence. And play. (136)
The person who I thought I was and who I've been performing for twenty-plus years wants to merge with the person I've been pretending to be for the past few weeks.
We will become a third thing. "I" can sense it.
Although who or what is "I" really?
(It's an interesting question.) (153)
During the day the place feels empty, but now that it is empty, it looks full. (156)
I almost say, I'm not gay, but the fact is Joe doesn't know who or what he is, and Henry doesn't know either. But Jonah—the man birthed through drowning by the oversized Mennonite women—he wants to know. And inside Jonah there are other selves yet: trembling to express themselves. And put together, we all want to, and do, learn quite quickly in this white subterranean room that fills quite suddenly with writhing, living limbs. (157)
It's a junkyard. Dark red velvet on one wall. Graffiti on another. And on a back wall with windows, three sagging bookshelves with a mess of books—some piled on top of each other, some half-open, some double stacked, but none standing straight in the shelf like they're supposed to....There are busts of authors....Charles Dickens mugs and Jane Austen teacups,...and famous literary quotes hanging on any space not taken up... (166) (I love the contrast between this place and the university library, each showing great reverence for what they hold, but holding it completely differently.)
"So you play with identity," I say. "You're fluid." (186)
It smells like fish and seaweed and birds and it smells like being a boy. (204)
"What do you want—a medal?" (214) (Love it! My wife has said this to me many times -- Grrr! -- but never before have I seen it in print.)
I lift the grey rail and ease it into place. In the dirt where it had lain, a tiny blue flower juts out an inch above the ground.
It's a start. (215)
Not only a start, but a great finish. I will be looking for more books by Hammer.
I needn't have worried. Hammer had me hooked at Mr. Death. I read the first 16 chapters all in one breath. In fact, I strongly recommend that readers strive to get it all in on a rainy afternoon or two.
In my case, life intervened for almost a week and I most definitely regret it.
That being said, despite the vast array of characters, after my hiatus I was able to get back into the book without too much difficulty. A e-book makes that easier, of course. (Who is Sean? Search the book for first mention.) Once getting back in to the book the vast array presented no problem since all of the primary characters and many of the secondary have clear, distinctive voices. I also embraced the magical characters. In fact, puppets, tattoos, and condiment shakers popping in and out of others' conversations, though confusing at first, became one of my favorite elements.
One can be somewhat lost at first, which initially bothered me but when I relaxed and saw it as a puzzle, I enjoyed it. An example from very early in the book was me trying to figure out location from vocabulary: 1) Oma (a word used among the people of German ancestry meaning grandmother, so maybe Pennsylvania Dutch region?); 2) hacienda (a ranch or large estate, or the main house on such an estate – in my mind this says California); 3) varmint (a chiefly southern and south midland America dialectal variant of vermin). Oma's stories didn't help. She is apparently well- and widely-read, and her stories include Journey to the West, a 16th century Chinese novel; Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, and tales from the Brothers Grimm. I became more confused when Oma used the German name Parzival for the Arthurian knight Percival, but it makes sense. She is German after all. Or is she? "...she has hazel eyes that are kind of slanted. Her father was Russian and she has what she calls Mongol eyes" (6). Hmmm, perhaps this child is simply a product of the American mosaic.
I love that Jack LaLanne is a hero of Henry. He was a hero of mine at that age and it surprises me that these days he seems all but forgotten.
Sean is a wonderful puzzle, a mass of contradictions. At first he felt female to me, but later he grow on me as an obvious male, perhaps he is a metrosexual, but he doesn't fit that stereotype either (thank goodness, who wants stereotypes?).
Just curious, I wonder why Hammer used her own translation for the quote from Les Miserables, rather than one of the at least eight English translations already available. I also wonder how different from these hers is.
Last but not least, I love Hammer's Acknowledgements: a full page in alphabetical order, by last name or first word, of the "following living, dead, real, and fictional entities," including, under 'a', "anyone I might have forgotten." Perfect!
Quotes that caught my eye
She...remained herself. Grounded in the whateverness that was her. (31)
The dress had deep pockets. For secrets. (36)
He...limped, sat down, and his ruined knees clicked something sad and funny under pinstriped pants. (46)
"Wait," she said. "He's an Arab."
Mr. Calvino popped up, "A most misunderstood ethnic group, like the Italians!" (47)
So, I become secret. I study unspecialness and silence. While most people in American work to develop ersatz talents, individualistic quirks, and even the occasional eccentricity, I let mediocrity shine like a beacon of nothingness. A black hole of personality. (48) (And just for a moment I wondered if Henry and Quirk were one and the same.)
He's an architect by trade, but an asshole by vocation. (55)
So you're there, but you're visibly invisible. A perceived absence. (61)
Knowledge has a fragrance. Study has an aroma to it. And the different fields all have their scent. Books are the flowering plants springing up miraculously from the seeds of everyday worlds, and as I enter Pinckey Library, I turn the key to a veritable secret garden—a sprawling preserve of olefactory flora. (89) (Even I with no olfactory senses to speak of, can feel what the Dean is experiencing. Thank you, Hammer, for that.)
He wrinkles his forehead again. The folds of his skin crumple like book pages, bumping their words against each other. (91)
...a new tree of knowledge, indeed a world tree that grounds the good and gives shade and shelter to any who would seek it. (128)
We faithful fail tests all the time. What is needed now is persistence. And play. (136)
The person who I thought I was and who I've been performing for twenty-plus years wants to merge with the person I've been pretending to be for the past few weeks.
We will become a third thing. "I" can sense it.
Although who or what is "I" really?
(It's an interesting question.) (153)
During the day the place feels empty, but now that it is empty, it looks full. (156)
I almost say, I'm not gay, but the fact is Joe doesn't know who or what he is, and Henry doesn't know either. But Jonah—the man birthed through drowning by the oversized Mennonite women—he wants to know. And inside Jonah there are other selves yet: trembling to express themselves. And put together, we all want to, and do, learn quite quickly in this white subterranean room that fills quite suddenly with writhing, living limbs. (157)
It's a junkyard. Dark red velvet on one wall. Graffiti on another. And on a back wall with windows, three sagging bookshelves with a mess of books—some piled on top of each other, some half-open, some double stacked, but none standing straight in the shelf like they're supposed to....There are busts of authors....Charles Dickens mugs and Jane Austen teacups,...and famous literary quotes hanging on any space not taken up... (166) (I love the contrast between this place and the university library, each showing great reverence for what they hold, but holding it completely differently.)
"So you play with identity," I say. "You're fluid." (186)
It smells like fish and seaweed and birds and it smells like being a boy. (204)
"What do you want—a medal?" (214) (Love it! My wife has said this to me many times -- Grrr! -- but never before have I seen it in print.)
I lift the grey rail and ease it into place. In the dirt where it had lain, a tiny blue flower juts out an inch above the ground.
It's a start. (215)
Not only a start, but a great finish. I will be looking for more books by Hammer.
April 7, 2015
Welcome to the town of Narrow Interior, where the college is defunct, inanimate objects (tattoos, salt and pepper shakers) talk, and children and adults alike are involved in puppetry. In this quirky, intelligent, hilarious story, Hammer helps us fall in love with the town and its residents: Henry, the reluctant heir of the Holbein hotel dynasty, Ali, the pizza delivery guy who’s involved in everyone’s lives, and Dean Bell, who isn’t quite ready to leave the college once it closes. In the vein of Elizabeth Strout’s OLIVE KITTERIDGE, Hammer portrays oddball characters and a small-town story that’s riotously funny and impossible to put down. If you’re looking for a book that’s both literary and entertaining, I highly recommend this one.
February 17, 2021
“Gomer knew what coming out was. He had taken the sex-ed classes, and there were gay people in his town, but they tended to come for weekends and the summer, because they had jobs in the city. They were rich gay people, in other words, and he went to public school, and the local people were different.”
Rescue Plan by Stephanie Barbe Hammer is the story of fifteen-year-old Gomer Faithcutt, a cancer survivor in search of a life plan. His hometown, Narrow Interior, is confining. His mom left the family to return to China when he was nine. His depressed dad, Gideon, is an artist who doesn’t have time to paint and is way too careful. Gomer lives with him and a chain-smoking landlady in an old house. He’s becoming aware of his bisexuality, a thing he’s not ready to discuss with his dad.
Is a Rescue Plan a Survival Plan?
With his cancer in remission, and unsure about the future, Gomer wants more than a survival plan. He wants to fulfill goals. Along with his good friend Mackie, a girl he likes in a way he hasn’t yet defined, Gomer is taking a Junior Lifeguard Certification course. He’d started the course previously, but, as a result of cancer treatment, he was unable to complete his certification by passing the water challenges such as a mock rescue of a drowning person.
The course coach is less than understanding as Gomer works to regain his strength. Yet Gomer has a sense of magic that serves him well. In the showers at the public pool where he is training, he sees the image of a woman in the water. He meets the beautiful and graceful Christopher, who plays the mandolin. When a billionaire moves across the street from Gomer, we’re in the realm of the extraordinary.
A Rescue Plan Contains Multitudes
“People tend to assume you’re just one thing. Not more.” Rescue Plan is a work about being more than one thing. Gomer likes guys, girls, water, music, and ethereal beings. He fights weakness, cancer, an unempathetic coach, and even a chain-smoking landlady. And he learns something about himself and his loved ones along the way.
“If someone you love teaches you something—anything—it’s a gift you hold onto. It’s a raft and a buoy.”
Rescue Plan by Stephanie Barbe Hammer is the story of fifteen-year-old Gomer Faithcutt, a cancer survivor in search of a life plan. His hometown, Narrow Interior, is confining. His mom left the family to return to China when he was nine. His depressed dad, Gideon, is an artist who doesn’t have time to paint and is way too careful. Gomer lives with him and a chain-smoking landlady in an old house. He’s becoming aware of his bisexuality, a thing he’s not ready to discuss with his dad.
Is a Rescue Plan a Survival Plan?
With his cancer in remission, and unsure about the future, Gomer wants more than a survival plan. He wants to fulfill goals. Along with his good friend Mackie, a girl he likes in a way he hasn’t yet defined, Gomer is taking a Junior Lifeguard Certification course. He’d started the course previously, but, as a result of cancer treatment, he was unable to complete his certification by passing the water challenges such as a mock rescue of a drowning person.
The course coach is less than understanding as Gomer works to regain his strength. Yet Gomer has a sense of magic that serves him well. In the showers at the public pool where he is training, he sees the image of a woman in the water. He meets the beautiful and graceful Christopher, who plays the mandolin. When a billionaire moves across the street from Gomer, we’re in the realm of the extraordinary.
A Rescue Plan Contains Multitudes
“People tend to assume you’re just one thing. Not more.” Rescue Plan is a work about being more than one thing. Gomer likes guys, girls, water, music, and ethereal beings. He fights weakness, cancer, an unempathetic coach, and even a chain-smoking landlady. And he learns something about himself and his loved ones along the way.
“If someone you love teaches you something—anything—it’s a gift you hold onto. It’s a raft and a buoy.”
April 1, 2015
No one has a voice – page turning, gutsy, heartfelt - quite like Stephanie Barbé Hammer. And it’s never been better showcased than in “The Puppet Turners of Narrow Interior.” The story is as strong and as genuine as the writing – but for this reader, the characters of this novel are what catapults it from a five-star excellent rating to one that will stay with readers for life. We first fall in love with Henry Holbein as a boy and Hammer allows the gift of his perspective to weave us through this unique family tale. But he’s just one of many endearing and fully realized characters (like Quirk, Mr. Olson, Oma, Sean, Monkey King, Octopus tattoo – gawd they're so great). It’s all – the characters and story and, yes, even the German author salt and pepper shakers – grounded in a very real, believably magical, world. Be certain to add this book to your forever library, you will read and reread and reread and reread.
May 6, 2015
Puppet Turners is a quirky sort of novel—part bildungsroman, part satire set in Narrow Interior, a city as narrow in its outlook as the name implies. How quirky is this book? Even one of the characters is nicknamed Quirk.
One gets the impression soon after beginning to read that the author is having fun with her writing, fun pitting modern-day values of wealth and personal happiness against the history of philosophy and ethical thought. It’s also clear that Hammer has the chops to pull it off. She liberally peppers the narrative with references to great thinkers and the ethical ideals that seem largely forgotten in the consumer universe that has engulfed us (or is that a black hole?).
And yet, the text never drags, never disappoints. There’s plenty of wonderful characters and odd situations to keep the reader interested. This is a quick, yet intense and thought-provoking read that will stay in one’s mind for a long time to come.
One gets the impression soon after beginning to read that the author is having fun with her writing, fun pitting modern-day values of wealth and personal happiness against the history of philosophy and ethical thought. It’s also clear that Hammer has the chops to pull it off. She liberally peppers the narrative with references to great thinkers and the ethical ideals that seem largely forgotten in the consumer universe that has engulfed us (or is that a black hole?).
And yet, the text never drags, never disappoints. There’s plenty of wonderful characters and odd situations to keep the reader interested. This is a quick, yet intense and thought-provoking read that will stay in one’s mind for a long time to come.
May 20, 2021
Rescue Plan is a pure delight of a read.
Reading it over and over, I was transfixed. The story of Gomer Faithcutt, a young man on a quest to pass his junior lifeguard exam, draws the reader in on a journey of self discovery.
The author paints a gentle, tender portrait of this teen, and his search to define himself after a bout with cancer while acknowledging his burgeoning sexuality and reconciling his mother's absence, and his father's Gideon's lack of motivation.
From word one, I was immediately transported into his world, into his head, and into his family and school. It paints a stunning and universal picture of those teenage years and so achingly captures a youthful dreamer, reminding us all of who we were and are. And, that life is short and precious.
What I loved most was how it leaves you yearning and hungry for more. Proving that at times, the most beautiful creations come in small snippets.
Reading it over and over, I was transfixed. The story of Gomer Faithcutt, a young man on a quest to pass his junior lifeguard exam, draws the reader in on a journey of self discovery.
The author paints a gentle, tender portrait of this teen, and his search to define himself after a bout with cancer while acknowledging his burgeoning sexuality and reconciling his mother's absence, and his father's Gideon's lack of motivation.
From word one, I was immediately transported into his world, into his head, and into his family and school. It paints a stunning and universal picture of those teenage years and so achingly captures a youthful dreamer, reminding us all of who we were and are. And, that life is short and precious.
What I loved most was how it leaves you yearning and hungry for more. Proving that at times, the most beautiful creations come in small snippets.
August 3, 2022
Stephanie Barbé Hammer is a writer of many talents, and Pretend Plumber: An Adventure shows them all. And what an adventure it is through the eyes of its queer-curious narrator, Sarassine, and a cast of equally interesting characters of all ages. It's both laugh-out-loud (Sarassine's wit is quick and quirky) and thought-provoking (on just a few topics such as Judaism, gender, family, and dyspraxia). And surprisingly, plumbing is the perfect metaphor. A delightful, insightful, creative read.
May 19, 2022
Laugh out loud hilarious! I couldn't put this book down until I was finished and I will now read this over and over again. This story has something for every teenager that ever asked the question, "What's it all about? Or, what is the meaning of life? Or, who am I and where do I fit in?" Join Sarassine as she ventures out with her friends on a magic carpet ride of an adventure.
February 24, 2021
The delightful tale of Gomer Faithcutt as he discovers himself and the history of his quirky town of Narrow Interior. I only wish the book were longer, and hope to meet up with Gomer and his friends again to see where life takes them.
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March 15, 2016This review first appeared on http://magic-realism.blogspot.com
The Puppet Turners of Narrow Interior has much in common with Magic America (see my last review). It starts with magic realism as the world seen through the eyes of a child; it features a fight against American big business whose plans are endangering a community; it even has a magic realist tattoo! But in many ways it is very different. In contrast to Magic America the frequency of magic increases through the course of the book, so much so that the book moves away from magic realism towards fantasy à la Neil Gaiman.
The book can be categorized in many ways - there is a strong streak of humour and satire here, which had me chuckling at times; there are a lot of references to classic philosophers and writers (including Schiller and Goethe as talking condiment pots), legends (Parsifal and the Fisher King anyone?) and then there's surrealism (I was reminded of Leonora Carrington's writing at times). In fact there is so much going on and Stephanie Hammer is having so much fun in writing the story that sometimes I felt the book failed to deliver completely on its promise(s). But then how could it?
I personally was interested in the puppets strand, which disappointed as did the religious backstory to the community of Narrow Interior. The two elements are related and so much more could have been done with them. Puppet theatre has always had a relationship with religion and not just in Japan: marionette means little Maria and the shadow puppets of South Asian portray tales from the Mahabharata and Ramayana. I worked for several years as the manager of the Puppet Centre of Great Britain and in that capacity saw the power and magic of puppets, nowhere more evident than in the ancient Japanese art of Bunraku, which the novel draws from, but doesn't explore.
The book could have been simply a book of ideas, but the characterization is strong and amusing. We engage with Henry from the get-go and even as he decides to hide his character. "So, I become secret. I study unspecialness and silence. While most people in American work to develop ersatz talents, individualistic quirks, and even the occasional eccentricity, I let mediocrity shine like a beacon of nothingness. A black hole of personality." we empathize and yearn for the real Henry to reappear. But again I felt that the author engaged our interests in certain characters (most notably Quirk and the old man Olsen) only to let them drop.
So, in conclusion, what did I make of this book? I enjoyed it, it is a fun and interesting read, but I don't think it is magic realism.
I received this book from the publisher in return for a fair review.
The Puppet Turners of Narrow Interior has much in common with Magic America (see my last review). It starts with magic realism as the world seen through the eyes of a child; it features a fight against American big business whose plans are endangering a community; it even has a magic realist tattoo! But in many ways it is very different. In contrast to Magic America the frequency of magic increases through the course of the book, so much so that the book moves away from magic realism towards fantasy à la Neil Gaiman.
The book can be categorized in many ways - there is a strong streak of humour and satire here, which had me chuckling at times; there are a lot of references to classic philosophers and writers (including Schiller and Goethe as talking condiment pots), legends (Parsifal and the Fisher King anyone?) and then there's surrealism (I was reminded of Leonora Carrington's writing at times). In fact there is so much going on and Stephanie Hammer is having so much fun in writing the story that sometimes I felt the book failed to deliver completely on its promise(s). But then how could it?
I personally was interested in the puppets strand, which disappointed as did the religious backstory to the community of Narrow Interior. The two elements are related and so much more could have been done with them. Puppet theatre has always had a relationship with religion and not just in Japan: marionette means little Maria and the shadow puppets of South Asian portray tales from the Mahabharata and Ramayana. I worked for several years as the manager of the Puppet Centre of Great Britain and in that capacity saw the power and magic of puppets, nowhere more evident than in the ancient Japanese art of Bunraku, which the novel draws from, but doesn't explore.
The book could have been simply a book of ideas, but the characterization is strong and amusing. We engage with Henry from the get-go and even as he decides to hide his character. "So, I become secret. I study unspecialness and silence. While most people in American work to develop ersatz talents, individualistic quirks, and even the occasional eccentricity, I let mediocrity shine like a beacon of nothingness. A black hole of personality." we empathize and yearn for the real Henry to reappear. But again I felt that the author engaged our interests in certain characters (most notably Quirk and the old man Olsen) only to let them drop.
So, in conclusion, what did I make of this book? I enjoyed it, it is a fun and interesting read, but I don't think it is magic realism.
I received this book from the publisher in return for a fair review.
June 10, 2015
(Note: I received a free copy of this book through Goodreads First Reads.)
The label "magical realism" fits pretty well on this book; it's a modern-day, northeastern U.S. setting in which people converse with ghosts and Death, tattoos and salt-and-pepper shakers talk, and puppets have lives of their own. And none of the characters bat an eyelid at any of it, even if they've never encountered a talking salt shaker before.
Although some chapters focus on other characters (most memorably: a wannabe Buddhist monk with an overcharged libido), most of the story is told from the point of view of Henry, scion of a rich hotel-magnate family, who has been sent to the town of Narrow Interior to reassure the locals about a hotel his family plans to build there. The town harbors a shadowy, underground religious sect which likes to gather in secret places at midnight to perform private puppet shows; Henry's family has some history with this sect.
For the first half of the book, you could be forgiven for thinking that it's going to be one of those thrillers where the hero runs afoul of some ancient conspiracy which will stop at nothing to protect its secrets. The most important thing to understand, if you're considering reading this, is that it's not that sort of book. It's a more cerebral, slightly moralizing beast; there is no evil conspiracy, only a small, harmless band, unjustly persecuted. The main character attempts to right those wrongs- and transform the lives of himself, the town, and everyone around him- by putting on a puppet show, supporting local artists, and fighting his own family's corporate greed.
In a lot of ways, it's completely daft; there were a lot of things here that made my eyes roll, such as when the hero discovers the healing, transformative powers of brawling with every random person that crosses his path. But it's also a great deal of fun; every time the story appears to be settling into a cliche, it does an about-face and runs away screaming; and there's a nice little message about striving to become a better person, if you happen to need one. If your tastes run to magical realism, urban fantasy, or surrealism, this book should suit you.
The label "magical realism" fits pretty well on this book; it's a modern-day, northeastern U.S. setting in which people converse with ghosts and Death, tattoos and salt-and-pepper shakers talk, and puppets have lives of their own. And none of the characters bat an eyelid at any of it, even if they've never encountered a talking salt shaker before.
Although some chapters focus on other characters (most memorably: a wannabe Buddhist monk with an overcharged libido), most of the story is told from the point of view of Henry, scion of a rich hotel-magnate family, who has been sent to the town of Narrow Interior to reassure the locals about a hotel his family plans to build there. The town harbors a shadowy, underground religious sect which likes to gather in secret places at midnight to perform private puppet shows; Henry's family has some history with this sect.
For the first half of the book, you could be forgiven for thinking that it's going to be one of those thrillers where the hero runs afoul of some ancient conspiracy which will stop at nothing to protect its secrets. The most important thing to understand, if you're considering reading this, is that it's not that sort of book. It's a more cerebral, slightly moralizing beast; there is no evil conspiracy, only a small, harmless band, unjustly persecuted. The main character attempts to right those wrongs- and transform the lives of himself, the town, and everyone around him- by putting on a puppet show, supporting local artists, and fighting his own family's corporate greed.
In a lot of ways, it's completely daft; there were a lot of things here that made my eyes roll, such as when the hero discovers the healing, transformative powers of brawling with every random person that crosses his path. But it's also a great deal of fun; every time the story appears to be settling into a cliche, it does an about-face and runs away screaming; and there's a nice little message about striving to become a better person, if you happen to need one. If your tastes run to magical realism, urban fantasy, or surrealism, this book should suit you.
March 21, 2015
I dare you to get this book. Seriously. At first glance, in dipping your toe in "Puppet Turners" waters, you might ask yourself: what is going on here? Relax. Trust the wit, probity and creativity of author Stephanie Barbe Hammer, who's already established herself as a cutting edge voice in magical realism. Move over Mikhail Bulgakov, Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Neil Gaiman. Make room for Hammer. This novel fascinates, entangles, and engrosses in the conscious and subterranean realms. Its egos, alter egos, talking tattoo and oddly named hotel chain not only intrigue the reader in their own right, but comprise a secret code. The story jumps decades and eras, leaps international and religious boundaries. Dissolves them, actually. This novel is *important* and the illustrations by Ann Brantingham are effective and, well, great. This reader found Puppet Turners to be an exploration of the subversive in a modern culture all too willing to bury creativity, striving, and authenticity beneath a petty capitalist world. No matter what you find, you're gonna love it. Ssssimply marvelous.
March 24, 2015
Haruki Murakami was recently quoted in Vintage Shorts: “A story is not something of this world. A real story requires a kind of magical baptism to link the world on this side with the world on the other side.” Stephanie Barbé Hammer knows this. The Puppet Turners of Narrow Interior is her fable-ous world on the other side. A brilliant and entertaining writer, Ms. Hammer gives us a magical link to that world in the form of Henry Holbein, a character we can all cheer for: naïve (in the best possible sense), inquisitive, steadfast and of good heart. Read this book and you’ll join Henry as he investigates the curious goings-on in his grandmother’s basement and the world beyond his Oma’s fence. Many words define Henry. Many more words define The Puppet Turners of Narrow Interior: fantastical, poignant, fun, magical, laugh-out-loud, quirky, intelligent, whimsical, and of course, other-worldly. Whether you’re already a fan of magical realism and fabulist fiction, or are new to it, read this book. You won’t be sorry.
October 18, 2023
The journey from Narrow Interior town to Merveilleux City on a vintage train is a short one, just about the right length for reading a novella--and this is the one to read! A plot worthy of Hitchcock (you'll find many a reference to his classics here) and characters worthy of Dickens, this is a ride you won't soon forget. Hammer writes in a delightfully intimate style that makes you feel as if you're best friend is passing you notes in class. Take this trip with Mackinnon Macdonald Flores (Mack), a Salvadorian-Scottish bagpipper and nearly-credentialed teacher, who would love to find love; Alison Muth, a gothish, slightly blue, octopus-affliated activist who may or may not need Mack's help; May-Bel, the Happy Train Vlogger from Chongqing, China; Diamond, a poet in the midst of finding her power; a pair of professional Mexican wrestlers, and a train-load of other wild and suspicious souls. This tale, short enough to finish on a single rainy afternoon, will make you laugh and leave you wishing it were all true. Thank you, Stephanie, for another wild ride!
June 1, 2015
From unlikely friends (an heir to a hotel empire and a sensual monk) to unlikely persons (a Friedrich Schiller salt shaker and a monkey with trenchant insight), Hammer’s book is a generous gift of narrative, prose, poetry, and wisdom. It is savory with fun and peppered with poignant moments (not to mention Wolfgang von Goethe).
Puppet Turners will take you on a journey with Henry Holbein and friends as they discover the strange and magical town of Narrow Interior with its profound, mystical history. I’ve heard that reading should be more fun than work. Hammer, to be sure, has given us plenty of fun in this novel packed with humor and adventure. And her writing is energetic and playful. But Hammer does not stop there. She takes on weighty issues like identity, religion/spirituality, and collective social action, and transforms each of them into something approachable for discussion and contemplation. This is an amazing novel, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Puppet Turners will take you on a journey with Henry Holbein and friends as they discover the strange and magical town of Narrow Interior with its profound, mystical history. I’ve heard that reading should be more fun than work. Hammer, to be sure, has given us plenty of fun in this novel packed with humor and adventure. And her writing is energetic and playful. But Hammer does not stop there. She takes on weighty issues like identity, religion/spirituality, and collective social action, and transforms each of them into something approachable for discussion and contemplation. This is an amazing novel, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
March 28, 2015
In Stephanie Barbé Hammer’s new novel, The Puppet Turners of Narrow Interior, a group of quirky characters find themselves and their history in the magically real town of Narrow Interior. A talking octopus tattoo waves its inky tentacle at the mythical Monkey King while the son of a New York hotel magnate joins forces with a cigarette-smoking monk, an unemployed professor, members (living and dead) of a nearly-forgotten religious sect, and a host of other town denizens to uncover his family’s secrets… with puppets.
I know; it sounds weird. And it is. In the best possible way. Spiritual and whimsical, witty and wise, this book explores deep questions of self and society without being weighted down by them. Henry Holbein and his cohorts present their play of shadow and light, and leave the reader refreshed, thoughtful, and enlightened.
I know; it sounds weird. And it is. In the best possible way. Spiritual and whimsical, witty and wise, this book explores deep questions of self and society without being weighted down by them. Henry Holbein and his cohorts present their play of shadow and light, and leave the reader refreshed, thoughtful, and enlightened.
November 1, 2023
Stephanie Barbé Hammer’s novel “Journey to Mervilleux City” is a smartly written and hysterically funny take on Alfred Hitchcock movies and Agatha Christie mysteries. It’s about a biracial bagpipe player who is studying to be a teacher on a surreal train journey to Quebec and the cast of characters he meets when one of the passengers goes missing. There’s a no-nonsense Goth girl who might be part octopus; an Evangelical rodeo star; a former congressman and actor/Afghanistan vet/Princeton graduate; a presidential daughter lookalike; and a Chinese social media influencer documenting her trip across the United States.
Barbé Hammer has a sly wit and is a master at satire and social commentary. She explores themes of race, discrimination, psychology, spirituality, immigration policy, and American politics while giving the reader a fast-paced, quirky, and completely entertaining ride.
Barbé Hammer has a sly wit and is a master at satire and social commentary. She explores themes of race, discrimination, psychology, spirituality, immigration policy, and American politics while giving the reader a fast-paced, quirky, and completely entertaining ride.
January 1, 2024
Stephanie Barbé Hammer had me at Goth-girl-who-may-be-an-octopus, and this train ride just gets better with every page. The characters are odd and yet oddly familiar—we know these quirky souls; (sans magical alter-egos) we ARE these quirky souls. The engaging story line dashes along hand-in-hand with exploration of deeper issues of race, class, and the identity we present to the world as the backdrop and foil to who we truly are. Fans of Agatha Christie-style/Hitchcockian mysteries will be drawn in immediately, and will not be able to put the story down until its deliciously satisfying end. I wanted more, right away, and chafed at the knowledge that I must wait until Barbé Hammer’s next book.
September 13, 2022
Pretend Plumber transports you. It's an enchanting story that draws you into the intriguing life of the narrator Sarassine. It's hysterical and yet also poignant. It's comic, but also deep. There's so many layers to this tale that we are captivated for the entire journey. The story is not just about what is on the surface; it's also about what lies beneath it all. My favorite part of the book is the voice of the YA narrator who is a strong and powerful protagonist who teaches the reader so much, both about Jewish history and culture, but also about ourselves. Lovely, gorgeous writing that just moves you. What a book!!! A must read for young and old alike. It's epic!
April 30, 2015
Stephanie Barbe Hammer's novel is the kind of work of genius that could be written only by a master poet. It is narrative and surreal and beautiful. You'll find yourself growing quickly attached to Henry and Quirk and losing yourself. However, it's also cerebral, and for me half the fun was the way in which she was playing with form and skipping between narratives. Hammer is one of the greats, and this is a definite must read.
July 14, 2022
Fabulist Stephanie Barbé Hammer offers readers a coming-of-age tale, featuring the POV of endearingly unfocused Sarassine (aka Sam). Sarassine/Sam has a lot on their plate, what with home plumbing disasters, absent parents, gender identity questions, and getting sent to summer camp for wayward Jewish youth. Not to mention stumbling into Kabbalistic magic and time traveling historical figures. PRETEND PLUMBER is a rollicking adventure with a lot of heart.
August 3, 2022
Stephanie Barbé Hammer is a writer of many talents, and Pretend Plumber: An Adventure shows them all. And what an adventure it is through the eyes of its queer-curious narrator, Sarassine, and a cast of equally interesting characters of all ages. It's both laugh-out-loud (Sarassine's wit is quick and quirky) and thought-provoking (on just a few topics such as Judaism, gender, family, and dyspraxia). And surprisingly, plumbing is the perfect metaphor. A delightful, insightful, creative read.
November 8, 2023
Take a pinch of Wes Anderson’s "The Darjeeling Limited" and a dash of Coen Brothers’ adaptation of Homer’s "Odyssey" and you're on the Journey to Marveilleux with a wondrous cast of quirky characters brought to life by the wondrous author, Stephanie Barbè Hammer. A fast-paced read, you’ll still be able to take in the modern times themes and as you near the final destination, you’ll not want the trip to end.
November 13, 2023
"The Lady Vanishes" meets Aimee Bender, with a dash of political satire and a sprinkle of screwball comedy. Take a break from dark reality on this train ride of fun, mystery, and a little romance, where a kilt-wearing almost-credentialed teacher and an octopoid goth girl take on powerful forces with with humor and aplomb.
September 15, 2022
Insightful, powerful story wrapped up with humor. I love how rounded the characters are and how the author makes each come alive as a complete character. Almost every page had a surprise and an eye-opening moment. READ THIS BOOK!
July 15, 2015
I need there to be a follow-up short story in which the Lladro figurine of Moses plays the primary. (1.5 in the Narrow Interior series)
May 10, 2015
What a fun read! It's imaginative, quirky and full of surprises.
November 3, 2015
Dense, smart, quick as in humor, not quick as in read. Zany as in wacky. Big as in clever. Surreal as in one foot in dry reality, one soaked in the other.
June 13, 2022
I loved the wise snarky voice in this story about connections, fixing things, finding family and figuring out how to fit in the world. A fun fast read that gave me much to contemplate.
February 1, 2024
Quirky but that's what I like about it. Glad I read the Puppet Turners first. Once you get into it it becomes a real page turner
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