By Tom McHenry
Staff Writer

A best-selling author read portions of her upcoming novel to Purdue students Monday in Fowler Hall.

Jane Hamilton, whose three other novels have received literary acclaim and positions in the highly publicized Oprah's Book Club, read aloud selections of her soon-to-be-released novel, "Disobedience."

"I just spent last week going over the copy editor's queries," Hamilton said of the novel's finishing touches. "I've been obsessing about whether this semicolon or that comma will ruin the whole novel."

The evening began with a brief introduction to Hamilton and her works by English professor Sharon Solwitz. Solwitz, who teaches creative writing at Purdue, began by praising Hamilton's novels.

Solwitz said that when she first sat down to read Hamilton's "A Map of the World" she intended to only read a chapter before going to bed. Several hours and several chapters later she was hooked.

"It is so unusual and lustrous a writer who is both popular and literary," Solwitz said.

Solwitz also told the story of how Hamilton was dropped by her original literary agent after finishing "The Book of Ruth." Hoping to still have it released, Hamilton got an alphabetical listing of literary agents and began to contact them one at a time from the beginning.

By the time she got to the "U" section, she happened to contact Amanda Urban, one of the most powerful agents in the country. Urban was so impressed by her work that she called Hamilton back after reading her manuscript and asked, "Who are you?"

"No one," Hamilton responded.

Hamilton came onstage to read from what will be her fourth novel, which will be released later this year. Called "Disobedience," it is the story of a teen-ager eavesdropping electronically on e-mails between his mother and her lover.

Though Hamilton had only a lectern, a bottle of water and the manuscript on stage with her, she kept the audience enthralled with her words. One audience member commented that Hamilton reads aloud just as well as she writes.

The excerpts were followed by a brief question and answer session with the audience about her other books. One audience member asked if Hamilton had difficulty using male protagonists and narrators being a woman. Hamilton said that she didn't and "I like to think we're more alike than not. Maybe that's ignorant or naïve."

Hamilton then thanked the audience for not asking about Oprah and her Book Club and offered to sign books and talk to fans individually.

Hamilton will also talk about her works in an informal question and answer session from 11 a.m. to noon today in the bookstall in the basement of the Hicks Undergraduate Library.