Blooston
The rewards of the Broken Bubble seem meager. Without the humor or wisdom of Dick's science fiction, this portrait of 1950's anomie is dominated by its bleak naturalism and soap-operatic earnestness. -- New York Times
Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly
Dick, primarily known for his science fiction, produced a number of mainstream novels, but only one of these was published during his lifetime. Since his death in 1982, these fresh, involving books, written in the 1950s, have been appearing at the rate of about one a year; they reveal the author as a keen observer of life and love with an acutely modern sensibility. This narrative centers on the breathtakingly destructive lives of four residents of Northern California in 1956. All are lost souls to some extent, capable of taking almost violent action to assuage feelings of emptiness and meaninglessness. The narrator is Jim Briskin, a radio personality who has jeopardized his job in an act of willful rebellion and now turns to his ex-wife Pat, whom he still loves. Pat is even more willful but less mindful of consequences than Jim; when he takes her to visit two of his fans, a married teenage couple, Pat seduces the husband, setting in motion chaotic forces that almost wreck the lives of all four. A fascinating, totally believable account of life in the age of anxiety. (July)
Library Journal
Set in mid-1950s San Francisco, this truly offbeat tale concerns disk jockey Jim Briskin, his ex-wife Pat, and married teenagers Art and Rachael. Briskin loves his ex-wife, classical music, and rock & roll. Pat loves no one. Art and Rachael idolize Jim because he is a disk jockey. Jim, in turn, sees himself as something of a father figure for Art and pregnant Rachael. After Pat seduces Art, it remains to Jim and Rachael to save both themselves and the other two. Marked by excellent characterization and a strong sense of place and time, this second posthumously published mainstream novel by celebrated science fiction writer Dick should further enhance his growing literary reputation. Highly recommended for collections of serious fiction.James B.Hemesath, Adams State Coll. Lib., Alamosa, Col.
