Friday, September 24, 2010

Cheever Packaging

I am a little bewildered at the marketing of John Cheever by Vintage Books, a division of Random House. First they give away the big third-act surprise of BULLET PARK on the back cover. Now I notice that the last page of the book is an advertisement for two other Cheever novels. That's fine! But I am not sure the blurb choice is doing Mr. Cheever any favors. For example, "Read it and be ennobled." No thanks! And here's a classic: "A luminous epiphany of life." That one makes me feel as if a friend just told me there's a huge spider on my back. Get it off! Get it off!