23 January, 2002: Corrupting Dr. Nice
Corrupting Dr. Nice is a bifurcated book. On the one hand, it's screwball comedy: an explicit refashioning of the classic Preston Sturgess movie The Lady Eve as a zany time travel escapade reminiscent of Connie Willis' work. On the other hand, as a John Kessel s.f. novel, it's trying to say something about American culture; his best known work (short stories like "The Pure Product" and "Mrs. Shummel Exits a Winner") are, as the title of "The Pure Product" might indicate, responses to an America gone crazy. The melding is interesting, if not entirely successful.