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Equally commendable for its art and its story, Dave Cooper's Ripple confronts conventional aesthetics and turns them on their head. An illustrator who compromises his ideas to get paid receives a grant that allows him free reign. His project is to do portraits presenting typically unbeautiful girls aesthetically. He eventually finds a girl who seems to have everything he’s looking for. But the project isn’t merely intellectual; eventually the artist’s pursuit of his vision leads him to a transcendental sexual experience that lies outside of the frames of his portraits. But his pursuit is not without its problems, and even the most transcendental of illusions are revealed as just that-- illusions.
This book is a favorite of mine because it pushes my particular buttons. It's about the beauty of the grotesque, about flawed humans and our misapprehension of other people. I recommend it mostly to people interested in that line of thinking. Ripple is part of a triplet of stories that were published under the general heading of Weasel. In my opinion, it is far and away the best and most deeply felt. If you like Cooper, though, Crumple and Suckle are worth checking out. If you live in L.A., go to http://www.hideho.com .
Tags: crumple, dave cooper, indie rec, ripple, suckle