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Aug
1
James Hynes’ “Next”
Filed Under books, ChristopherHedges.com, James Hynes, Next: A Novel | Comments Off
I had the good fortune to check out James Hynes‘ “Next” from the public library without knowing much about it beyond that it was in the new books section and the cover flap description lured me into checking it out from the library.
The novel details middle-aged Kevin Quinn’s secret trip to Austin, Texas for a job interview that he hopes will change his life. Kevin becomes obsessed with the woman sitting next to him on the airplane — Kelly a/k/a “Joy Luck” — and follows her around Austin while killing time before his interview. While he’s wandering around Austin following (stalking?) Kelly, we learn about Kevin’s life back in Ann Arbor, Michigan — his time spent working for insufferable academics, his successes and failures at love, and the other events in his life that have made him the person he is today.
Along the way, he realizes life in Austin is probably a lot like life in Ann Arbor — if only a little hotter. An Austin taco place reminds Kevin of his favorite burger joint that current younger-girlfriend Stella dislikes. And, a trip to a fancy grocery and shopping mall bring comparisons of the same stores back home. (Kevin is more comfortable in Kroger than he is in a Whole Foods type place). Should he keep up his quest for Kelly and a new life away from the Midwest, or should he turn back and go back home to Ann Arbor and Stella?
The book is is a tale for the post- 9/11 days with terrorism on Kevin’s mind as he is flying and when he isn’t thinking about his chances for sparking a romance with with a younger woman. Will he find love in the beautiful Kelly or will Kevin find true along the way when he least expects it? And, will Kevin make it to the job interview that could end up changing his life or will he be sidetracked?
The novel is one that reflects the anxieties of life in the early 21st century — many people are stuck in jobs that they no longer (if at any time) enjoy, going through the motions of living with people they may or may not really be in love with, while living in an age when the threat of terror is always in the background as we are scanned at the airport and are scrutinized by security when we visit offices in large skyscrapers in our cities.
Beyond the concerns of modern living and surviving these turbulent times, James Hynes captures the thoughts of many in these days when relationships seem to come and go — will we ever find true love or realize that it may be right before us?
