The Hottest State

Ethan Hawke’s Hottest State is a tale of obsessive love set in New York (and Paris) when William (’20 sexy, confident’) meets Sarah and they embark on a relationship which really is roller-coaster-like. Through it we explore William’s relationship with his mother, absent father, and with himself. It’s clever yet not distant, sensitive but not sentimental, but, ironically given the title, left this reader a little cold. The Hottest State is entertaining and well-written, but capturing that painful, gut-wrenching emotion that is obsessive first love must be hard for any novelist, and Hawke doesn’t quite pull the reader in. As a reader, you will observe William, but you will not become emotionally attached, and Sarah’s quirkiness – which initially seems endearing – eventually distances you from her, leaving William’s obsessive feelings a mystery. Despite those reservations, Ethan Hawke’s first novel suggests a promising career as a novelist.

On this day…