In Hank Schachte's short novel Killing Time (New Star, $18) the central character loses his memory and his ability to form new memories in the aftermath of a car accident. What follows is an unusual story which slips backward, chapter by chapter, eventually revealing the complicated relationships between Richard and his brother and his brother's lover, Cindy. As the plot unravels and Richard's short-term memory slowly returns, the reader remains one step ahead of the character in realizing his past identity as well as what the future holds in store. Schachte's background in film is evident-using long, loose sentences, often with minimal punctuation, the author attempts to mimic the free-flowing nature of visual memory. Part of the impetus for this literary mystery was Schachte's interest in examining the constructs of time and memory. "I have always been interested in the particularly human perception of time,"; he says. "The story explores this idea of memory as a form of prejudice--how memory and experience influence our perceptions of the present moment and our construct of personal reality."; Schachte, a screenwriter, is also the author of a non-fiction book, Vagabond Fitness: A Field Manual for Travelers, published by Orca in 1995. His feature film, Silence, screened at the Sundance Festival in 1999 and a new novella is the subject of a screenplay under development. Schachte, who became a licensed pilot in 1958, flies his own Cessna and lives on Saturna Island, where he is an aficionado of vintage Saabs. 1-55420-019-9

[BCBW 2006]