Novel Explosives by Jim Gauer: Inner Lives Bursting With Color | The Big Book Project

https://substack.com/@thebigbookprojecthttps://www.instagram.com/thebigbookproject/Novel Explosives by Jim Gauer is a 700 page novel about a man who wakes in Guanajuato, Mexico, with his knowledge intact but no memory of who he is or how he got there. On this episode of The Big Book Project, host Lori Feathers chats with Jim to celebrate the 10th Anniversary Edition of his expansive novel, one of those rare, abundant books that rewards the most careful reading a person can give it.00:00 A man who does not want his identity back03:19 Waking in Guanajuato with no memory03:56 Pessoa, Alvaro de Campos, and the poet of the absent self11:07 Saramago and The Year of the Death of Ricardo Reis13:56 Gabriela, the ATM card, and memory in reverse17:52 Douchebag, the VC who killed his inner self25:59 Gomez, Raymond, and the money-laundering caper35:24 Clocks, Proust, and every way to look at time44:20 Blindness, the doctor's wife, and seeing the contagion46:17 Seven years, 3:30 a.m., and writing to be surprised51:41 Abundance, color, and the inner life01:02:19 Too many books and the hunt for the real thing