CONTRAPPOSTO

Scenes from the long life of an artist striving to stick to his principles.

Eggers’ latest novel concerns Robert Dibb, aka Cricket, raised in a dysfunctional home in Indiana. His mother is distant and her boyfriend abusive; Cricket’s sole solace as a child is drawing, a gift encouraged by his grandfather Silas. After Silas dies, 9-year-old Cricket begins living independently, supported in his efforts by Olympia Argyros, only a year ahead of him but old enough to feel like she was in “another world,” who guides him to his artistic and sexual awakening. Scraping together enough money to take drawing classes, he becomes a gifted draftsman of nudes (most of which are drawn by Eggers himself), but when the local library reneges on its promise to display his drawing, he comes to avoid making his work public. This David Copperfield­­­­–ish setup—child with few resources makes his way in the world, entwined with a female confidante—has a speed and liveliness often missing in Eggers’ novels, heavily allegorical as they can be. Its success comes in part from his emphasis on character over theme: Cricket’s anxieties and fears are vivid, especially as he pursues manual jobs (tile work, ship breaking) that underscore his love of detail and his urge to keep moving. Olympia, likewise, is compelling as his lifelong would-be patron, particularly in a fine set piece involving a highly successful but ethically suspect artist. Still, this is an Eggers novel, with some of his usual heavy-handedness, this time about the battle between art and commerce and the distinction between high-concept stunts and craftsmanship. (An art teacher, Marcus Carpenter—note the name—thunders like a prophet about the death of skill and beauty, and seems teleported from Wise Elder central casting.) When Eggers sticks to his main characters, though, the book achieves the simple beauty Cricket himself strives for.

A winningly detailed art-world story.