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Boots!

Where would we be without books?

Where would we be without good?

No to turn.

It's a rhetorical question, sir.

But where would we be without books?

From KCRW and KCRW.com, I'm Michael Silverblatt. This is Bookworm, and today my guest is Sam Lipsite.

Sam and I have spoken about several of his other books, although it's been a while.

We didn't talk about his book of short stories, which was called The Fun Parts, so I'm particularly

eager to talk to him about his new novel, Hark, which is published by Simon and Schuster. Hark is the name of a character in the book.

His mother particularly liked the song Hark the Herald Angels sing, and she thought the song was being sung to someone named Hark.

And so she named her son Hark.

That's right.

His father knew better, but was just amused.

There's a certain kind of patriarchal attitude that is amused by the errant stupidity of what goes on in the household.

Sure, name him Hark.

This is an odd, odd book about a man named Hark who probably can hear the Herald Angels sing.

And what no one has said in reviewing this book is that this book is asking what it would

be like for there to be a religious slash spiritual book if there could be one. All of the characters, not just some of them,

are unworthy of this aspiration, but they nevertheless need it. They're living in our times,

which is to say troubled times.

...