Radio Iris

 

Radio Iris

by Anne-Marie Kinney
Two Dollar Radio

2012

 

 

Radio Iris came out like 10 years ago, published by Columbus, Ohio's own Two Dollar Radio press. I wanted to read it then, and I know I even checked it out from my grad school library, but never started it, because, you know, grad school. And then recently saw it  while I was trawling an old wishlist and decided to check it out again. I wish I could say it was worth the wait!

 
The novel tells what appears to be a suspense story about an isolated young woman (Iris) working in a Kafka-esque office where nothing makes sense, although Kinney herself can't seem to decide if she's writing a suspense novel or a realistic novel about a character who perceives her own life as mysterious and suspenseful.

 
We alternate between scenes of Iris being alone in the office, Iris fielding bizarre requests from her secretive boss, Iris trying to spy on the man living in the office next door, Iris being alone in public places, Iris failing to connect with her brother by phone, Iris remembering a tragic incident from her and her brother's childhoods, Iris having dreams that appear to be about her childhood, and for some reason, we get a few chapters where Iris's brother is the viewpoint character as he travels and makes corporate presentations.

 
Each chapter covers only a single scene, and most are 1-3 pages long. Almost nothing happens except for Iris being passive, wondering about things but not seeking answers, avoiding other people, and failing to understand the nature of her boss's business. I was prepared for a mundane explanation, that she doesn't work for a real company, just one man who's either incompetent or involved in crime or both.

 
And then in the last 5-10 pages, her paycheck bounces, she goes to work and all the office furniture is gone, she goes to finally talk to the man next door but he and all his stuff are gone, she finds a hole in the floor and climbs down into the structure of the building, then underground, where she finds herself outside on an alien world with a different sun, the mystery man is there and tells her she can't stay, she hears her phone ringing upstairs, climbs back up, it's her brother who pocket dialed her and doesn't want to talk, then there's an earthquake, and Iris runs outside and away from the building, the end.

 
I'm all for wild endings, but I prefer them to have some basis in anything that's happened earlier in the story.