The Familiar, Volume 1: One Rainy Day in May
 |
|
| Author | Mark Z. Danielewski |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English language |
| Genre | Signiconic |
| Publisher | Pantheon Books |
|
Publication date
|
May 12, 2015 |
| Media type | Print (Paperback) |
| Pages | 880 |
| ISBN | |
| Preceded by | Only Revolutions |
| Followed by | The Familiar, Volume 2: Into the Forest |
The Familiar, Volume 1: One Rainy Day in May is an American novel by writer Mark Z. Danielewski. Released in the United States on May 12, 2015, it is the first of a planned 27-volume story entitled The Familiar as well as the first book of Season 1, which includes The Familiar Volumes 1-5. This first volume takes place over the course of a single day: May 10, 2014. Its story weaves together nine different narratives from across the globe that continue to develop in subsequent volumes: One Rainy Day in May was followed by Into the Forest in October 2015, and by Honeysuckle & Pain in June 2016. The fourth volume, Hades, appeared in February 2017.
A repeating theme of this series is the oneness of all things and the many links between people throughout the world despite their differences. Danielewski's characters span multiple races, nationalities, and they speak a variety of languages, including Mexican Spanish, Egyptian Arabic, Armenian, Turkish, Singlish, Mandarin, and Russian. They are also from disparate places; in this first volume the main characters begin in Los Angeles, Marfa, El Tajín, and Singapore. But connections are already forming between them—for instance, Xanther has Tian Li's cat, Cas' friend Sorcerer knows Anwar and Xanther, and Isandòrno and Luther both work with Teyo. Many of the characters of The Familiar also hear the same strangely familiar sound: a cat's yowl.
Danielewski has repeatedly expressed his desire to anchor his books in a relationship with a specific media. Where House Of Leaves was about a film and Only Revolutions was "about music," The Familiar "is about a television series". The number of volumes announced for The Familiar would then correspond to a whole television series. In a 2011 interview he declared having mapped out the first 10 books as "two 5-volume seasons". In that regard A Rainy Day in May has been described by critics as a "pilot episode". Among his references, Danielewski quotes the experience of "the five seasons of The Wire or the wild speculations of Battlestar Galactica" which are built upon multiple storylines: "these visual novels have come into our living rooms and bedrooms and they tell a story in much greater detail and with much greater patience." To him, the choice to remediate, within a series of books, the way "prestige" TV shows have shaped narratives, is "a longform investment in the future."
...
Wikipedia