WILLIS CANNY: or, The Movies

Willis Canny is an adaptation of Moby Dick, wittily replacing whales and whaling with lively conversation about movies and how they impact our lives.The novel revolves around the mysterious figure of Willis Canny, who emerges as a pivotal character in Thomas Marr’s cinematic exploration. Discovering encounters with Willis Canny second-hand, Marr delves into themes of identity, memory, and the transformative power of movies. The novel weaves together moments of nostalgia, introspection, suspense, and humor as Marr navigates through personal reflections and external conflicts.Willis Canny is also a wild road trip with two lost souls (bound together like Ishmael and Queequeg), reflecting and arguing about movies. Their buddy road trip includes crazy situations and characters, but no luggage mix-ups, free-spirited teen runaways, or cats. It does include a meditation on the greatest decade of movies—the 1970s, and catalogs aspects of movies the way Melville did whales. Willis Canny plays with this in interesting and lighthearted ways.As the story progresses, Marr’s search for answers about Willis Canny leads to unexpected revelations and confrontations, ultimately culminating in a dramatic and impactful climax. Through the lens of cinema and the enigmatic presence of Willis Canny, the novel explores the profound influence of movies on personal experiences, relationships, and perceptions of reality. With a blend of nostalgia, mystery, and emotional depth, Willis Canny offers a unique and thought-provoking exploration of the interconnectedness between film, memory, and human connection. Much of the pleasure is in the journey. Author Thomas Marr’s central insight, in saying movies are our “whaling,” is both apt and enjoyable. Read more