Though less playful and propulsive than The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay or The Yiddish Policemen's Union, there's something very intimate and personal about Chabon's latest novel, set on his home turf (Berkeley and Oakland) and involving two important components of his own life: listening to music (vinyl, to be exact) and making babies (at home, to be exact--he and his wife, the writer Ayelet Waldman, have four kids). The entwined stories of record sellers and midwives in Telegraph Avenue doesn't necessarily soar or roar, but the characters and the setting are great company, and the prose is, as usual, frequently exquisite.
The book goes on sale Tuesday, but we spoke with Chabon about it earlier this summer at the Book Expo America convention in New York, where he discussed the long gestation of the project, his disciplined work habits, his love of '70s acid jazz, and his maddening addiction to the internet.
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Chris Ciolli (@ChrisCiolli) on September 10, 2012 at 03:02 AM
I love Michael Chabon. Midwives and record-store owners is an unusual combination, but sounds like a very interesting book.