Ben's exit

the long version

The author's character Benjamin Carlson's insatiable desire to leave his body is inexplicable to his long-time companion, novelist John Collins. John wants to make a fictional character out of Ben, but Ben's desire for freedom is an obstacle, the result being a cryptic, mystical and sometimes euphoric story. The evocative Southern California landscape of Disneyland, surf, sun, parties and beaches deliciously camouflages haunting undercurrents of both narrative and theme. The lyricism of BEN'S EXIT recalls that of Trachtenberg's earlier SHORT CHANGES FOR LORETTA (1982), MAKING WAVES (1984, 1990), and MERCURY TEA (1988).