The Perturbation of O tells the comic story of how a loser became a winner with the publication of his memoir, Gideon’s Confession, and the chaotic aftermath that the book and an encounter with Oprah Winfrey have had on two people: Gideon Anderson and Regina Blast, a woman about whom Gideon wrote intimately in his memoir.
Told mostly in a single conversation between Gideon and Regina as they sit on a spring morning drinking coffee and eating pastries, The Perturbation of O deals with concepts of fame and intimacy, and who has the right to speak about whom.
“Joseph Peterson’s whirling, twirling prose winds us deeper into the comical and often dark nature of fame, obsession, art; what it means to be truthful to yourself, and if that’s even something worthy of pursuing anymore. This intoxicating two-way conversation will hit upon themes familiar to Gen-Xers who came of age carrying the weight of Slacker culture. But rather than writing another generational celebration of familiar tropes, Peterson peels them back to reveal their absurdist underbelly. This is gripping psychological stuff for readers interested in the dark corners of how art gets made and remade and remade again.”—Mark Guarino, author, Country and Midwestern: Chicago in the History of Country Music and the Folk Revival
“With his signature wit and wisdom, Joseph Peterson’s latest offering is a bittersweet exploration of the highs and lows encountered along the border of art and commerce. The Perturbation of O deftly lays bare the heavy toll that fame exacts from the creative soul.”—Giano Cromley, author, American Mythology
“The Perturbation of O paints a profoundly real picture of the way artists and writers live inside their heads. Much like antiheroes Gideon and Regina, we creative types are a tribe unto ourselves: outsiders, outlanders, misunderstood misfits. Products of American romanticism, we imagine someday somewhere someone will swoop down and lift us up to art heaven, saving our souls and sanctifying our tortured artwork. Then, along comes Joseph Peterson with his latest twisted parable.”—Ed Rath, artist
“Joseph Peterson, like his character Regina, is also a ‘painter of light’ . . . with his mastery of language and dialogue, he is constantly bringing the reader back to the subtle, spiritual underpinnings that are the fabric of story and life.”—Robert Silverman, jazz pianist and composer
“Peterson draws these characters with intensity, compassion, and humor. He has an orbital camera, taking snapshots of every aspect of their stories as they obsess over the past and over their fate, each time finding some new detail that pokes and twinges their memories with regret in the case of Gideon and wonder in the case of Regina.”—Mike Brehm, artist
“Whether channeling Blake or dancing with Oprah, this hypnotic torrent of words slips under the hood of the creative combustion engine to reveal all the leaking oil and rusted pistons.”—Jon Langford, musician, The Mekons
“I read Joseph Peterson’s book in one sitting when it came in the post. I found it extremely engaging and tangent to many of my own personal aesthetic interests. The writing seemed woven together like a long prose poem. The story had a feeling like waves coming onto a shoreline, the high-low feeling of deep concerns and shallow cultural touchstones were fascinating, as if the author wrestled with his own past confessions as a terrible mistakenness. Yes, it’s an unusual journey, but it made me wonder about why it’s so difficult to tell the truth even in fictional literature. Confessions are always enticing, and this is a juicy tale. Put more concisely, the story held my attention and hit many points of reference that kept me engaged. The flavor was very contemporary but set in a very specific place and moment that oscillates with ebb and flow of the remembrances. It’s sexy without being explicit, a bit fantastic but grounded in the author’s self-doubt. Slack is just so then and there.”—Frank Gaard, editor, Artpolicecomics
