Martin Ott (3)

Underdays is a terrifyingly beautiful collection of poems. Some of the poems will reach inside the deepest part of you and rip you apart while others will put you back together and mend you. There seem to be so many layers to Martin Ott's poetry, that I know for sure this is a book that I will revisit often. It is just one of those books that beg to be reread in order to peel back all those layers. The author is extremely talented with words and I was completely mesmerized by the beauty of the language, even when the themes could be so dark and haunting. Every single poem seems to have a higher purpose and as the reader, I felt that it was my job, my duty to decipher and reconcile its meaning. A poem about not carrying an umbrella is not really a poem about umbrellas, so what is it about? The dialogue in italics within the poems is brilliant and it guides you into the depths of the poem so that you can find your own answers.

From High Above The Airport:

"You're a decorated pilot
descending from a dogfight.
No, a child with paper wings
plunging spellbound toward earth."

I highly recommend this book of poems. If you have any interest in poetry, you will not be disappointed by Martin Ott's collection. Underdays is poignant, yet absolutely stunning. I leave you with my favorite quote from the book: "We will conquer mountains of air on words that form translucent ladders to the constellations of our adventures."

*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*… (més)

Norman Kross, a retired interrogator, finds himself teaching a class within his field expertise, perhaps feeling a bit bereft of his own path in life. In civilian life, he is going through the motions of a pseudo-proletarian existence. The aphorism "those who can't do, teach", rings with the banality of truth.

His family life is at odds with the successes of his professional life, and he is plagued with certain doubts.

"His bombshell Russian wife, her volatile violinist father, and his two headstrong sons stared at him from their framed family holiday photo. What did it say about him that he wan't in it? ... Did his family like having him around now that he wasn't traveling to the four corners of the globe..."

When Norman is commissioned with a job of interviewing a character actor, George Stark, concerning the death of a young woman, he suddenly finds himself walking a sinister tightrope that shatters his original assessment of the generic private sector.

I was impressed with the progression of The Interrogator's Notebook and the character development that portrayed a complex understanding (on the author's part) of human behavior. Snippets of the Notebook are added before each chapter, allowing a glimpse at the moral reckoning and experiences of the main character.

Read the entire review here:
Bookend Chronicles… (més)

***I received a free copy in exchange for a book review***

I loved this 12 chapter book; I thought it was awesome how each chapter started with a part of Norman’s memoir, which was called “The Interrogator’s Notebook.” I had an instant like to him since he was a writer and had led an interesting life, keeping secrets from his family. My favorite lines: 1) My first nightmares were not of bogeyman or sharp-fanged monsters but of leather shoes shuffling down the corridor, the terror of what might spring from my own actions. 2) Truth was, I had been arrogant, a victim of my cleverness. This woman would not be the last person whose life I ruined as an interrogator. 3) He helped me see the story within the story to probe myself, as much as those I questioned. 4) Every journey starts at the beginning, not the middle. 4) “You don’t see it, do you?” For the first time, Ari the Elder beamed a self-satisfied smile. “The great interrogator is blind to the truth all around him!”

A famous director’s daughter was murdered, so Lawrence, a best-selling author, asked Norman to interrogate the potential suspect. George was a famous actor with a dark side. He gave me the willy nillies, in a good way. The first pool scene where he dressed up as the victim gave me chills down my spine. I really was afraid for Norman’s safety. It was cool that George kept getting inside his head and getting the best of him. Knocked Norman down a couple of pegs. My favorite scene was when Vera and Norman are at the cabin. It was pretty scary.

I loved the suspense and the mystery. It was full of tension, and I loved Norman’s family dynamics, especially the backstory with his father. The situation was very sad, and I enjoyed all the drama. Poor Norman. The author had a brilliant talent with characterization; all the people in his story were three-dimensional and entertaining. I liked the villains and the heroes. His sons and the son’s girlfriend were witty and cute.

I RECOMMEND this book to read.… (més)

*Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review*

Author
Born in Alaska and raised in Michigan, Martin Ott joined the Army as a Russian linguist and interrogator before attending the University of Michigan. He began writing fiction and poetry in his undergraduate years.
He has traveled through the United States and internationally, and these influences can be seen in his poetry travelogue, Poets' Guide to America from Brooklyn Arts Press, cowritten with John F. Buckley. He moved to Los Angeles in 1995, and often writes about his adopted city.

Review
Lesson's I learned from this book. One: Do not ever start a relationship with an interrogator. You will always be one of his subjects. Two do not ever date an actor who wants to role play in different parts of your relation. Three do not play golf in the middle of the night on an unlit course.
The main character Norman Kross is a very broody, depressive person. He obviously has some serious issues and there are many points in the book where I felt like slapping him and telling him this was the time to do something. He has no proper reaction towards any person in his surrounding. He does understand and catches the signals given by people but does not react to them and feels bad about it after. But this goes on and on and on and he does not seem to learn from it. As a female this mad me cringe over and over again.
The other character George Stark, the actor, is a real creep. He is scary and gave me the same feeling as Pennywise gave me years ago. You never know what he is up to and he can be everywhere. I really loved that aspect of the book.
The development in the story between Kross and Stark is solid but for 200 pages there are to many things happening. I did not know the places of all the extra characters mixing Lawrence and Owen up all the time. There was a lot of family drama going on which seemed to be important in the one part of the chapter and was waved away a bit on other parts. There where the diary parts in chapters which I could not always place in the story. I like stories where parts of a diary are written out if they make sense for the chapter before or after it but I did not always experience a connection between them though they did give some insight in Norman's head.
Ow and that actor... is a creep… (més)