Chris Bachelder is one of America’s top-ranking writers who has deployed his creative potential in authoring widely acclaimed books on satire, realism and other subjects of general and special interest. Bachelder was born in 1971 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, but was raised in Christiansburg, Virginia where he quietly nurtured his passion for writing.
Bachelder is highly distinguished for his pioneering effort in e-book publication having authored his well-received book, Lessons in Virtual Tour Photography in the new format. Besides, he is a regular publisher in The Believer and McSweeney’s Quarterly Concern. He applies his creative skills to explore on a wide range of subjects.
Bachelder graduated with a B.A. Degree from Virginia Tech in 1992 and proceeded to earn his M.F.A. Degree from University of Florida at Gainesville in 2002. Bachelder’s active interest in literature has earned him teaching jobs at various institutions including Colorado College, North Carolina’s Governor’s School West, The University of Massachusetts, and New Mexico State University.
He has demonstrated his special talents in a variety of genres throughout his writing career. He belongs to the category of American writers who have shown a since resolve to critique the American society on the grounds of its eroding values and the unchecked pursuit of materialism. Much of his fiction is strongly themed on the excesses of the American high culture.
In this book, Bachelder adroitly brings out the story of the main character, Abbott, who struggles against every odd to maintain his mental calmness amid a myriad of family challenges. The author uses the main character to explore the hopes and aspirations that many parents face with regard to parenting.
In various respects, Bachelder uses the life of the main character as a canvass to paint the picture of modern day challenges in terms of the unease and the uncertainties that afflict many struggling parents. Abbott is portrayed as a very brilliant man who endeavors to get the perfect formula for bringing harmony in his entire family.
One remarkable strength that confirms the author’s extraordinary devotion to details is the manner in which he strings together the extraordinary things in Abbott’s life to bring out an overall idea of struggle. The little trials that afflict the main character are symptomatic of the unsteady rhythm of urban life as we experience it today.
The main character is portrayed as a very imaginative person who aspires to improve his lot in life, but he is constantly derailed by personal and societal challenges. His bid to live a truly prosperous life is compromised by the fact that he lives in a society that does not play by the rules of nature. The very essence of the American Dream appears somewhat elusive in his case.
Abbott stands out supremely like an avatar of the deeply troubled modern man with respect to recurrent fears of failure, the undying desire to reach a sense of perfection, and the effort to become a perfect father to his daughter. In the end, this novel stands out as a sort of mirror that reflects the private concerns and joys of the modern American father.
In this novel, Bachelder employs his trademark satire to mock at the society in its ravishing appetite for contest and media-hyped realities that seems to force an unyielding choke-hold on both the young and old. The substance of the story is built on the epic fight between a bear and a shark in Las Vegas. Remarkably, the author’s lamentation against television culture is stark.
Given the unlikelihood of a confrontation between the two powerful animals in real life, the author appears to challenge the superficiality of ego fights, which often characterize the modern pursuits for superiority. Contrary to the expectations of the readers and the characters, the shark and the bear are not real, but computer generated.
In fact, there is no natural outcome in this contest because the results have to be controlled in a way that will provide room for the next context. This order of things is a deliberate attempt by the author to lampoon the television culture for deliberately fostering false impressions that give consumers biased versions of reality.
Bachelder uses the character of the Normans to show the manner in which families have become captive to the media culture. The Normans exemplify the many families in the society, which are eager for an escape but cannot find any. The world in which they live is very mechanical and cannot connect with the true essence of reality.
The juxtaposition between Las Vegas and TeleTown is intended to show the extent to which the people of the former have veered in the wrong direction. The Normans are astonished by the way the people of TeleTown appear to be contented with their lifestyle of farming, healthy living, and reading books.
Bachelder’s novel, The Throwback Special, has been named as one of the finalists for the National Book Award. The publisher of the book was W.W. Norton and Company. Among the themes that are tackled in this book are men’s passion for fantasy sports and the peculiar relationship that exists among men when it comes to intensive and competitive sports.
Ultimately, Chris Bachelder is a highly reputed writer who has authored various books across different genres. He is highly gifted in the art of satire, which he uses to express his displeasure in the excesses of the television culture and the superficial delights of materialism. He is also a distinguished man of letters who continues to share his insights in the lecture rooms.
Bachelder’s art inclines strongly towards social realism. He is exceptionally gifted in character development and uses his protagonists and antagonists to reinforce the ideals he supports and challenge the ills of the society. Some of his memorable characters such as Abbot and the Normans are effectively used to achieve such ends.