The Last Days of Video

In Hawkins's funny but derivative first novel, the year is 2007 and video stores are becoming dinosaurs. But in the college town of Appleton, N.C., Waring Wax, owner of Star Video, is determined that his failing store will survive. It doesn't help matters that he is constantly drunk, surly to his customers, and up to his eyeballs in debt. To make matters worse, his Christian distributor has just dropped him, the town council wants to turn his space into a community arts center and, worst of all, a Blockbuster Video has just opened up nearby. But Waring has a plan. It involves Match Anderson, a local boy turned Hollywood auteur, who has returned home to make his latest movie. But Match, it seems, is plagued by the ghost of Alfred Hitchcock and might be too distracted to help. The author has a good time gently poking fun at the video-store culture that produced Quentin Tarantino. But the author's other targets%E2%80%94Christian zealots, box-store capitalism, and self-help cults%E2%80%94seem like a leftover comedy routine. The novel seems to strive for a balance between nostalgia and quirkiness, but too often settles for the easy laugh. (Mar.)