THE RUMPUS: Bombshell, A Novel reviewed by Nick De Pascal
July 15th, 2013
“Bombshell, James Reich’s second novel, is an incredibly dense, rich, and well-paced novel. Within its 259 pages the reader encounters Chernobyl, feminism, terrorism, rendition, Valerie Solanas, Jane Fonda, Hiroshima, the Trinity test site, and much more. In the hands of another novelist, this sheer mass of information and references might result in a novel bloated with digressions. Luckily, Reich’s punchy, no bullshit prose style and love of action keeps the plot moving swiftly ever forward toward a seemingly inevitable, doom-filled climax that has much to say about nuclear power without ever feeling pedantic. …At any given moment, the “forbidden space” of Chernobyl can lay itself over whatever place Cash is in, as is seen above, or when new-New York City becomes Chernobyl by the end of the book. Rather than causing confusion, this masterful strategy of Reich’s brings the reader even deeper inside Cash’s psyche, and suggests a circularity or interconnectedness to the world and its past, present, and future selves. James Reich’s new novel stands out because, for all the loudness of its characters and subject matter, it manages to feel subtle and seamless in its execution. It’s a novel that doesn’t sacrifice politics for plot, or vice versa, and it’s a novel that will pass by too quickly and leave you wondering what in the world its author will dream up next.”