On the nightstand this month…..
Chuck Dugan is AWOL: A Novel – With Maps, by Eric Chase Anderson.
If his name sounds familiar, that’s because his brother is a big-time Hollywood director….Wes Anderson. He makes those quirky, amazing little films, The Royal Tenenbaums, Rushmore and Moonrise Kingdom.
If you’ve seen any of Wes Anderson’s films, then you are already familiar with Eric’s work as well. Aside from the cameos he almost always has in his brother’s films, he helped conceptualize the look of his brother’s inimitably stylish film, The Royal Tenenbaums. Assisting the production designers by drafting the layout for the Tenenbaum’s brownstone, as well as creating all of Richie Tenenbaum’s artwork in the film. For The Darjeeling Limited it was Eric who created the family’s logo-covered luggage, the house of Louis Vuitton produced it. Eric also designed the packaging for each of his brother’s criterion collection dvds.
Back to his own writing career now.
From the dust jacket (remember when books had dust jackets?), “On the day of his eighteenth birthday, midshipman cadet Chuck Dugan receives a startling letter, including a treasure map drawn by his late father and news that his mother is about to marry a rogue and scoundrel known as “the Admiral.”” Sounds like a great start. What could be more exciting than a treasure map and a wedding to stop?
The book is littered with Eric’s illustrations, and of course, maps. It’s just charming.
Technicaly…I think it’s a “young adult” book.
But who cares?
Go grab a copy. (Used ones start at 1 cent)
THE CAVENDER DIARY 