Book Review: Miss Subways by David Duchovny

David Duchovny is a multi-talented individual. Having already proven himself as a successful actor over the last two or three decades, in recent years he has begun to branch out into the worlds of music and literature. With two albums and two novels already under his belt, on May 1 he releases yet another novel, Miss Subways. Each of his books is very different from the others. Holy Cow is a whimsical story about a cow who is determined to escape the possibility of a very grim future. Bucky F*cking Dent is the story of a grown man’s relationship with his ailing father, with some baseball thrown in along the way. And his newest entry into the world of fiction literature, Miss Subways, is a fresh, modern take on some Irish (and other) mythology in the telling of the story of Emer.

Emer Gunnels is an average woman in her late thirties living in New York City. Her boyfriend, Con, is an intellectual who has “been working full-time on his opus for more than ten years”. Emer’s life changes one night when she encounters Sidhe, a doorman in her building. Or is he? You might recognize some of the characters that Emer encounters along her journey, although in this tale they all come to life in new ways. 

Set in the current timeframe of New York City, specifically above-ground in Central Park and below in the underground subway system that is every bit as much a part of the city as the skyscrapers themselves, Miss Subways captures the personality of the beloved city as well as a certain mythological aspect that is hard to pin down. It is beautifully written and tells a tale of love, commitment, and choices made. The story captures your attention with mythology, yet never strays so overly far as to get away from what is real as well.

Duchovny continues his talent for writing with a dry wit in his third novel. The characters and voices in his books are diverse, what with a cow, an everyday ballpark worker, and a female teacher traveling along on the subways. All of his books are written with an entertaining intelligence that captures your attention and tends to not let it go until the last page. Miss Subways continues the tradition. I highly recommend picking up a copy when the book is released to the public on May 1, or you can pre-order it here.