One Night

Set against the backdrop of the Christmas season in Los Angeles, this erotic, romantic thriller is a clean break from Dickey’s recent sprawling adventures (A Wanted Woman, etc.). Here he presents a relationship with the lifespan of a mayfly. Every element is controlled to preserve the anonymous nature of the couple—Dickey withholds even basic information such as character names—but this technique enhances the tension and passion. The events of the plot are basic, with meeting and consummation proceeding at a fleeting pace. When the erotic content verges on the unwieldy—as in a single paragraph that continues unbroken for three pages—the lyrical use of repetition and dynamic imagery redeems it. Though on its surface the story is a romantic one, it also encompasses a crime thriller by delivering flashes of the news on television. The resolution of the couple’s relationship is as ambiguous as the rest of the story, but there is a note of hope for the future that feels like a gift to the reader. Dickey has taken the anonymous one-night stand into the realm of art. Agent: Sara Camilli, Sara Camilli Agency. (Apr.)