The Peep Diariesr
by Hal Niedzevicki
I have always had a little crush on Hal, founder of Broken Pencil. I like the way he takes risks when choosing fiction. I always laugh out loud at the stories posted on the website, and wish I could be that fresh and original.
So when I heard Oprah say that The Peep Diaries made it on to her Top 25 Must-read Books of the Year I knew I had to support the independent Canadian writer...and the subject matter sounded interesting and au courant.
The Peep Diaries is compelling. Like the proverbial accident scene, you cannot look away from this trip down the rabbit hole. People want to be watched. We are always performing, and as Hal points out, some people can take it to the extreme. The part that is cringe-inducing is how similar the everyday's mom's motivation is to the everyday-mom-who-likes-her-daily-spanking's motivation.
The intrepid Hal decides to enter this Peep culture via various networking sites (facebook, Twitter), he starts a blog, and he chases down reality-show alumni to get their take on why we are so fascinated by the car crash that plays out in front of our eyes.
It is uncomfortable in a way , because we are all rightfully painted with the same brush-some just lightly shaded, others with the gloppiness slopped on. It is interesting though, how those who are glopped, can see that they are, but don't care.
It is an extension of EGAM-everyone gets a medal. Or, as your mom told you, you can do whatever you set your mind to... The Peep Diaries explores the concept of oversharing, because we think people actually give a shit. When really, they are just waiting for us to release a titillating tidbit, to fall flat on our faces.
Throughout the book, you get the feeling that Hal is lamenting this whole culture...but go to his blog, he is still "researching"...
Hal will be at Wordfest in Calgary and Banff the week of October 13th. www.wordfest.com
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