HIND'S KIDNAP

McElroy’s dense, allusive novel chronicles the aftermath of a kidnapping.

First published in 1969, McElroy’s novel focuses on Jack Hind, a man fixated on a kidnapping that he was unable to solve. As Jack wanders around New York City and the surrounding area, he ponders a host of topics, including the failure of his marriage. But if that description makes it sound like a hard-boiled detective yarn, think again—this is a sprawling, heady book that rarely goes where you’d expect. Readers will note references to the works of modernist writer John Dos Passos, futurist author Filippo Tommaso Marinetti, and linguist Leonard Bloomfield—making this as much about books, language, and storytelling as anything else. Jack spends some of the novel following leads left for him in mysterious notes, such as “If you’re still trying to break the kidnap, visit the pier by the hospital.” And while there are aspects of the book that position Hind as an amateur sleuth deeply engaged in the case, the novel also delves back into Hind’s own surreal childhood to help explain his current condition. The digressive scope and dense style—the second part of the novel is structured as one sprawling monologue—can take a while to get used to, and some passages, including Hind’s repeated use of the term Orientals, have not aged well. But reading this also makes it clear why the likes of David Foster Wallace have been drawn to his work.

An ambitious novel chronicling a thoroughly fraught life.