Even though I have yet to
read a home run book by him, I still enjoy reading a Denis Johnson book at
least once a year. They may never be masterpieces, at least to me, but they are
always a good time, even if that is the only real quality that they possess. It
is like that for the novel I just read titled Fiskadoro. It is quite unique,
probably the oddest selection in Johnson’s long oeuvre, and as always, it has
its fun little moments, but this is probably my least favorite book of his so
far, and the reason being is that you can tell that Johnson is out of his
element. The books of his I have read, most notably the story collection Jesus’
Son and his first novel Angels (my favorite), have been characterized by a
stark realism mixed with a sympathetic look at fatalistic lives. Here, he adds
a strong fantastical bent with the story of young Fiskadoro, who becomes a
savior to a group of people in rather funny and goofy post- apocalyptic
setting, where the gods and idols worshipped after the fall of man aren’t
classically religious, but more in line with pop culture icons such as Bob
Marley and Jimi Hendrix. Also gone from this novel is a strong emotional
attachment to any of the characters or events going on. There are a little too
many, and the one that is in it the most besides the eponymous boy, Mr. Cheung,
is a little more than a two dimensional sage-like figure for Fiskadoro. If this
book were adapted into a movie, I think it would translate well, more so for
any of the other very cinematic books Denis Johnson writes, but as a book, it
left a lot to be desired from an author I enjoy checking out every now and
then.
Rating: 3/5
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