Journey

It is on the New York Times Bestseller list, but the title is only an embellishment to the cover, because most books nowadays seem to have that claim italicized on the front.

The cover artist has done a beautiful job. The cover is drawn, but edited to look glossy and fuzzy so that exact features of those pictured are indistinguishable. A profile view of a female with dark hair pulled back in a bun is sitting on a couch, resting her head on her hand, pen between her fingers. She is holding up a book, reading it. A coffee table is in front of her with magazines strewn about, and a vase sits in the center of the table. The flowers are pink, drawing attention to color in an otherwise ivory room. Behind the couch, through an archway, viewers can see the next room over. They see the back of a man, his hands spread over a white grand piano. The words “The Writer and the Pianist” appear at the bottom of the cover, embossed, in lower case font.

The book first appears on a table at Borders, under a sign that reads “New Arrivals”. Two women walk by the table, one noticing the cover. “Oh; I’ve heard of this one,” she says, and discusses reviews with the other woman. She decides to buy it.

Critics publish their reviews in a newspaper column. One critic says, “A compelling story with elegant language. If she spelled ‘realize’ with an ‘s’, and ended ‘defense’ with a ‘ce’, we’d never know she wasn’t European.” Another says, “I really tried, but I just couldn’t get past the first chapter. The language is gaudy and tries way too hard to sound like something it’s clearly not. Spend $7.95 on coffee and a bagel instead.”

A wife tells her husband about the book, claiming it is an excellent read. She says the title quickly, too quickly, and her eavesdropping teenage son hears “Pianist” with a dropped second syllable and a missing ‘t’. He eagerly tells his friends, and they venture to the bookstore together in search of newly released erotica. They are disappointed to find that their friend misheard the end of the title, but one of the boys buys the book anyway. He likes the story, but doesn’t tell anyone.

Friends of the author are horrified to find that she published under that ridiculous penname after all. No one believes them when they say that they know her, that she is their friend, and that this name isn’t really hers. The author’s photograph is missing from the “About the Author” section of the book; in fact, so is any useful information. The section simply indicates where the author lives, where she graduated from college, and that this is her first publication. She declines interview after interview, so her friends are out of luck, unable to associate themselves with someone published.

One copy of the book is stolen, stolen by a young girl with too much make up. It is her first time stealing anything, but she does not have the money for the book, and she owes too much money in library fines to borrow it. She reads it once, twice, thrice, and then again and again after that. She carries it with her until the pages are bent and the cover is worn. The story inspires her to create her own.

Cristina