High Five: Sandra Novack

Sandra Novack discusses five more things of beauty.

Raymond Carver's Cathedral

Although many appreciate Carver's more minimal style in collections such as What We Talk About When We Talk About Love (another great collection), I'm a big fan of Carver's "fuller" stories such as "Feathers," "A Small, Good Thing" and "Fever," as well as the beautifully realized "Cathedral." From Raymond Carver, I learned the importance of repetition to create variance and tone and structure. As a writer who studied Russian Formalism, I also dig Carver's phrasing and ability to startle the reader by reconsidering images.

Rainer Maria Rilke's Duino Elegies

The poetic loftiness of Rilke's Duino Elegies helped me remember the importance of yearning for those things just out of reach. The loftiness of the poems inspired me greatly when I was writing my novel. And who doesn't love angels? Who doesn't wonder if something greater is at hand, watching or not? Plus, and with regard to fiction writers reading poetry: I always find that as a writer not naturally gifted with the power of simile and metaphor, reading poetry is a must to get my comparative juices going. Plus poets—really all poets, actually—inspire me to find just the right word.

Michael Cunningham's The Hours

I find The Hours to be a beautifully structured, nearly spot-on perfect book with an innovative plot line and gorgeous prose. It's one of those books that reads so seamlessly it appears effortless. The idea of "shape" and "form", as well as repetition and variation of key images, ideas, etc. inspired me in my own novel, Precious. But I love form!

Ian McEwan's Atonement

To me, McEwan is a true contemporary master of the novel form, and I rank him up there with Updike and Roth. Atonement is one of those novels that inspired me to be my best, to follow those "great" writers and learn from them. Not only is the plot gorgeous and beautifully realized, but also I admire the way McEwan handles time compression (like Roth, too!), and the pacing of the entire work. From him, I took pointers on pacing and time control in my own novel.